


The Starkeeper’s Guide to Love and Soccer

by MusicLurv



Series: Starkeepers [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: And a huge dork, Clarke is mysterious, F/F, Lexa is confused, The first in a possible series, There’s soccer involved, Weird things are happening, it’s a good time, lots of sass, no one dies, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-05-02 06:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 63,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14538684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicLurv/pseuds/MusicLurv
Summary: Lexa had a plan. She was going to graduate with her degree in physical therapy, get a spot on an NWSL team, and then make it up to the National Team. But then she quite literally ran into a certain blonde that decided to turn her whole world upside down.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> At long last, my newest work: The Starkeeper’s Guide to Love and Soccer. 
> 
> This one’s a ride, so try to keep up. And no spoilers.

The first time Lexa ran into her, she did quite literally that. She was already running late for practice, her cleats were clacking loudly against the linoleum of the school’s hallways, and her watch seemed to be ticking by the seconds louder and louder just to taunt her.

Lexa let out an annoyed huff as she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail. She had been pushing her team incredibly hard this season, and here she was, captain in her senior year, about to graduate and move on from college soccer and hopefully be pulled into the national league, and yet...

And yet she was running late and setting a piss poor example for her teammates.

So, to say she was in a hurry would be an understatement. And she found that she had every right to have not seen the girl standing dead center at the exit from the tunnel into the field. Because _who did that_?

Apparently this girl.

“Shit!” Lexa barked as she collided heavily with the stationary girl. The girl who, Lexa barely had time to notice, was staring directly up into the sky with her hip cocked and her arms crossed.

But then that didn’t matter anymore, because they were both on the ground, tangled limbs and all.

“I am so sorry. I’m running late and didn’t see you there. Are you okay? Jesus, I can’t believe I ran into you,” Lexa rambled as she fumbled over herself to try to get up off the girl.

The girl who pointedly ignored Lexa’s worry and scrambled back to her feet to stare right back up at the sky. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, and as Lexa moved around her to see her better, she noticed a slight furrow between the girl’s brows as if she was worried about something.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lexa tried again, reaching out a hand before thinking better of it and letting her arm fall back to her side. “I hit you kind of hard there.”

And still, the girl ignored her. She continued to stare up at the sky, arms crossing again and foot tapping lightly against the concrete.

“Hello?” Lexa called, her tone echoing her growing frustration at being ignored repeatedly. She waved her hand in front of the girl’s face, just for the girl to quickly reach up and swat her hand away.

Crystal blue eyes turned to look directly at Lexa. “What?” the girl asked sharply.

Lexa threw her hands up in the air in frustration with an aggravated groan. “What? _What_? What do you mean, what? I just ran you down, and now I’m trying to see if you’re okay, and you just ‘What?’ me?”

The girl quirked her brow at Lexa before letting her eyes drift back up toward the sky again. “I’m fine, thank you. Hurry on your way.”

“Hurry on your way,” Lexa mocked grumpily under her breath. “Did you hit your head or something? What are you even looking at?”

“Nothing of your concern. Go to practice, Captain,” the girl directed, barely paying any attention to Lexa anymore.

Lexa jerked back in surprise. “Do I know you?” she asked, her face scrunching slightly in confusion as she looked the girl over. Surely, _surely_ , she’d recognize someone as beaut— odd. Someone as odd as the girl in front of her.

“No. I’m not even a blip on your radar, which is the way it should be. But you’re Lexa Woods, captain of the girls soccer team, soon to be newest recruit to a national league team, though you won’t get which one out of me. Spoilers.” She glanced back down at Lexa, winking with a little smirk, before her eyes darted right back up to the sky.

“Oh, so you know who I—“ Lexa cut herself off, her jaw dropping open as she finally registered everything the stranger had said. “Wait, did you just say—“

“Yes. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” The girl quickly spun on her heel and darted back down the tunnel and into the building, out of Lexa’s sight.

If only she were as easily out of mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, there’s the prologue. And I promise that it’ll get far more confusing before it makes sense. And whatever you’re assuming right now... may or may or be right. But, basing my assumption on my friend who has already read this entire story, you’re probably wrong.
> 
> Let me know your theories in the comments below! I’m excited to start this journey with y’all, so let’s start off with a bang, shall we?
> 
> Questions, comments, requests, and kudos are loved as always. And you can find me on tumblr @musiclur


	2. I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lack of cinnamon, a friend, and a telescope.

“What do you mean you’re out of cinnamon?” Lexa sighed, resisting the urge to moan in frustration. Her day had started off shitty, and it wasn’t getting any better as the hours passed. She was still recovering from the tongue lashing she had gotten from her coach the night before after having to run suicides for most of practice because she was late.

So she wasn’t exactly surprised when she overslept the next morning and had to rush through a shower before darting out the door to get to her first class on time. Forgetting her textbook that she needed for said class was just the icing on the cake.

When she realized she forgot her assignment as well, Lexa almost called it quits and went back to bed.

But instead, she was at the little coffee shop on campus, ordering her standard Cinnamon Dolce Latte with an extra shot of espresso, just to learn that they were _out of cinnamon_.

“Never mind. Can I just get a double shot to go?” Lexa finally requested, shoulders slumped in defeat. She paid the cashier and made her way over to the pickup counter, silently praying to whoever was listening that her day would maybe, just _maybe_ , get better.

She highly doubted that anyone was listening or cared enough to help her out.

“Giving up that easily, Commander?”

Lexa turned and was met with the upturned brow of her teammate and best friend since freshman year of high school, Anya.

Lexa rolled her eyes and turned back to the counter, elbows leaning on the countertop heavily. “Don’t start with me today, An. I’m not in the mood.”

“Still reeling from that beating you took from Indra yesterday?” Anya asked, coming to lean her back against the countertop beside Lexa.

With a sigh, Lexa brought her hand up to rub at the headache that was forming just above her eyes. “Shitty day.”

“Those seem pretty common for you recently.” And to anyone else, Anya may have seemed indifferent to the matter, a bored expression on her face as she watched the other students disinterestedly.

Lexa just hummed noncommittally, nodding her thanks to the barista as she took her double shot.

Anya followed her out of the cafe without invitation. “I’m not trying to intrude or anything, but—“

“Then don’t,” Lexa cut her off shortly. “I’m fine.”

A hand on Lexa’s arm brought her to an abrupt stop, and she glared at Anya as she just barely managed to keep her coffee from falling out of her hand. Anya looked at her sternly, brow furrowed in concern. “We’re all worried about you, Lex. You’re burning out. And a burned out Commander isn’t going to help anyone.”

“And just what do you suggest, oh all knowing Anya?” Lexa bit out sarcastically. She didn’t need advice from her teammate. She knew exactly what she needed. And hearing it from someone else was just not very appealing.

“Take a break,” Anya said firmly, her hand dropping off of Lexa’s arm. “Even just a long weekend. Missing a day of classes and practice isn’t going to kill you.”

“But it will kill my record. I can’t. I’ll rest after graduation.”

Anya scoffed. “You don’t even know the meaning of rest. Don’t make us kidnap you, Lex.”

“I’m not making you do anything. Now if you’d be so kind,” Lexa said as she brushed past Anya, nudging her shoulder none-too-kindly, “I have to get to work. I’ll see you at practice.”

“Don’t make me get Raven on you,” Anya yelled after her.

“Your girlfriend knows better than to try,” Lexa called back over her shoulder.

Anya barked a laugh. “You clearly don’t know her well at all, Cap.”

Lexa rolled her eyes and continued on her way. Even if Raven did try anything, she would be able to handle it. After all, she _was_ captain of the soccer team, and she could get both Anya and Raven benched for the rest of the season if she really wanted to. (Not that she would because they were two of the best players on the team.)

The door squeaked as Lexa walked into the dining hall. She gulped down the rest of her coffee before tossing it into the trashcan waiting beside the closet for her as usual. She pulled the closet door open and tossed her bag inside, pulling out the coveralls and sliding them on easily. She grabbed the mop handle and dragged that out, drawing the wheeled bucket along with it.

She let out a heavy sigh as she checked the schedule hanging on the back of the door. She had the science building which, while usually pretty quiet at night in semesters past, had been annoyingly popular since the astronomy department got its fancy new observatory finally built. And that meant that she’d have to do a walkthrough at least twice after cleaning the first time.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

  
Lexa rubbed tiredly at her eyes as she finally finished her rounds. She shoved the cart toward the exit, relishing the silence of the building that was finally, blessedly empty of any other people.

Or, it was supposed to be empty, at least.

Lexa squinted as she stared down the hall toward the figure making their way toward the stairs. And she knew better than to follow them or call out, because that’s how every horror movie found its first victim.

But this wasn’t a horror movie, and Lexa was too damn tired to think properly. So she tossed the rag she was holding onto her cart and grumbled the entire way as she stomped after whoever was in the building that she was _trying_ to lock up for the night.

By the time she reached the stairs, whoever it was that she had seen was out of sight. And so Lexa trudged up the stairs, her heavy footsteps echoing off the walls. “I can’t believe I have to chase someone down. Who the fuck is even out here this late?” she grumbled a steady stream of complaints as she made her way after the offender.

Finally, she made it to the top of the stairs and into the shiny new observatory. Because _of course_ whoever was violating the hours of operations was going to be coming to the observatory. On a relatively boring night that was more cloudy than clear.

Lexa huffed out a frustrated breath as she looked around the empty space. “Hello?” she called out, rolling her eyes at herself as she received no answer. “I know you’re up here. Look, I just want to go back to my dorm and go to bed. Could you please just come with me so I can lock up the building?” She made her way further into the room, look around the equipment that the science department had set up to view “spectacular astronomical events,” which more often than not included the same old night sky that was always there.

The room was dark, no lights other than the emergency lights that lined the wall just above the floor giving any sort of help in Lexa’s search. So she really shouldn’t have been surprised when she ran into something that was much softer than a large piece of equipment should have been. And whoever it was stumbled to the floor with a little “oomph.”

“You know,” said a surprisingly familiar voice with a hint of a laugh, “for someone who was so sorry about running me over before, you sure do seem to like doing it.”

Lexa’s eyes widened in surprise. She scrabbled with her coveralls to pull the zipper down so she could get her phone out and turn on the flashlight. When she finally did, she shined it on the girl who was still sitting on the floor (closer to lounging, with her hands holding her up as she leaned back and stared up at Lexa with a little smirk). The bright light reflected off of the girl’s blond hair, making it look almost white in the lack of any other light.

“What are you doing up here?” Lexa finally got out after she got her jaw working again.

“Checking,” the girl answered simply before fluidly climbing back up to her feet.

Lexa sighed in exasperation. She shouldn’t have expected an actual answer from the girl. “Checking what, exactly?” she asked.

The girl just shrugged before stuffing her hands into her jeans’ pockets and turning away from Lexa. “Just checking,” she said over her shoulder.

Lexa shook her head frustratedly, following after the girl before she escaped the light of her phone. “Just checking what? You shouldn’t be up here. And I’m sure you know that.”

“You’re up here.”

“Because it’s _my job_ to be the last one in the building.”

The girl threw a grin over at Lexa. “Then I guess you’ll just have to stick around for a bit,” she said before hopping over a chain that blocked off one of the larger telescopes.

“I’ll just have to—“ Lexa scoffed. “Excuse me? That’s not how this works. Wait! Get off of that!” Lexa shouted, hurrying over to the telescope and the girl who was now climbing up into the seat to turn the thing on. “That cost more than you’ve probably ever seen in your life, you know.”

“Unlikely,” the girl mumbled as she fiddled with the controls. The telescope hummed to life, spinning as the girl directed it. “Look, I just need to check something real quick. Try not to let your panties get in a twist.”

“No,” Lexa said firmly, climbing over the chain and moving over to stand next to where the girl was sitting. “Come on. We have to go. _You_ have to go.”

“Can I see your phone for a sec?” the girl asked distractedly, not looking up from the monitor in front of her as she reached over her shoulder expectantly.

“And just why would I let you have my phone?”

“Because we’re going to be here even longer if you don’t.”

Lexa groaned but handed her phone over. “If you break that, you’re buying me a new one.”

“You’d have to find me first.”

“Because that’s been really hard recently.”

The girl chuckled as she took the phone, spinning in the chair to look at Lexa. She quickly stood and pulled Lexa into her side, snapping a photo of the two of them next to the incredibly expensive telescope at an incredibly late hour when _no one_ should have been in the observatory.

Before Lexa could stop her, the girl had tapped away at her phone and handed it back. “There. Now we both have photo evidence that you were a coconspirator in this entire scandal.”

“Is this going to be a scandal?” Lexa asked, snatching her phone back when the girl lifted it up toward her.

“Not if you be quiet and let me do my work.” The girl sat back down and turned back to the monitor, typing in coordinates as if she had done so hundreds of times before.

Lexa huffed again and leaned against the back of the girl’s seat. “You seem to know what you’re doing.”

“That’s because I do. What happened to being quiet?”

“What happened to following the rules?”

“The rules were made for people who need them to get on with life. _I_ , on the other hand, don’t need them.”

“So you’re saying you’re above the rules,” Lexa said, incredibly unimpressed by the girl that was making her stay up even later than she already was. And she had a class in three hours that she had to get to.

“Yes. Now hush.” The girl tapped away at the monitor, focusing in on what, to Lexa, looked like an empty part of the sky. “Well, would you look at that,” the girl said under her breath, pointing to the darkness on the screen.

“There’s nothing there,” Lexa said, even though she was pretty sure that the girl wasn’t actually talking to her.

The girl jolted in her seat, spinning around to face Lexa again. “Shit. I forgot you were there.”

“We were literally just talking a second ago.”

“That was only a second ago? Are you sure? Seems longer than that,” the girl said rapidly, turning back to the monitor to print off whatever she was seeing. “Well, time’s weird like that, isn’t it?” She yanked the paper off of the printer next to the telescope before standing up abruptly.

“Are you finished?” Lexa asked, brow quirked expectantly.

The girl just hummed, folding the paper up and shoving it into her back pocket. “What are you even doing here? The building is supposed to be locked up this late. Don’t you know there are rules?”

“You have got to be kidding—“

“It’s been a pleasure, Lexa Woods. As always. Well, as just last time, I guess. For now, anyway. But you’ll see all of that soon enough.” The girl hopped back over the chain and made her way toward the door. “You should really get some sleep. You won’t be any good to your team working off of fumes.”

“I could have been in bed an hour ago if it weren’t for—“

“A whole hour? Well, what are you waiting for, Woods? That hour’s not going to make up itself.” And with that, the girl turned out of the door to the observatory, her steps light enough to not make a sound in the stairwell.

Lexa jogged after the girl, rushing to catch up. “Wait, you can’t just leave! What’s your na—“

She cut herself off when she turned out of the doorway and saw the empty stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your warm reception of the prologue!! I’m hoping to update this regularly to get it all out there quickly, but I’m not promising a scheduled release. 
> 
> Anyway, any new guesses? Because when I was writing this, I honestly had no idea what Clarke was at this point either. Well, other than a vague understanding. She really wrote herself. So have fun figuring it out haha
> 
> Comment below with your favorite type of coffee! Mostly because I want to try new things. So give me suggestions.
> 
> Questions, comments, requests, and kudos are always loved and welcomed. And you can find me on tumblr @musiclurv


	3. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parties, glass, and unforeseable circumstances.

Anya would probably say that Lexa was moping. In fact, Lexa would probably say that Lexa was moping. But Lexa wouldn’t be the first one to point that out, or even say it out loud to anyone. Ever.

Because, sure, she was out at a party with her teammates after being dragged out of her dorm room on Saturday night. And no, she didn’t actually want to be there at all. Especially since she had a paper that was due on Tuesday that she was only halfway through.

And yet, there she was, sitting on the couch in the living room of some coed’s house, still nursing her first cup of beer, with people gyrating and tripping and laughing and yelling all around her.

But why on earth would Lexa be moping about that?

“Lex. Please. Loosen up. Finish that beer and get another one. And maybe four more after that,” Raven begged, plopping down on the couch next to Lexa as Anya took a seat on the arm of the couch next to her.

“I don’t want to be here.”

“But you are. So deal with it. What happened to making the most out of crappy situations?” Raven asked, brow quirked expectantly.

Lexa sipped dutifully at her beer. “That was before I had a mountain of work to finish before the weekend is over.”

Anya rolled her eyes. “This is pathetic even for you, Commander. You usually at least glare at people who come near you. What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Lexa shot down quickly, keeping her eyes firmly on a nasty spot on the carpet in front of her.

“Nothing my ass. What’s got you all hot and bothered?” Raven chimed in.

“I am neither hot nor bothered, thank you very much,” Lexa scoffed.

“And here I thought Lexa Woods was nothing if not overly confident about how hot she was,” Octavia, another girl from the soccer team, cut in as she sat on the other side of Lexa.

Raven leaned over Lexa, eyes wide as she looked at Octavia. “I think I’m in shock. _The_ Lexa Woods just said she wasn’t hot.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “Would you two stop it. I’m not that conceited.”

“As if. You know you could have any girl on this campus if you so much as pointed at them. Don’t lie,” Raven said.

“Truth,” Octavia agreed, taking a sip from her drink.

“I hope you mean _other_ girls, Reyes,” Anya said lowly with a glare at her girlfriend.

Raven just shrugged. “I meant what I said.”

Lexa’s lip quirked up at that, not being able to keep to her foul mood in the face of her friends’ banter.

Anya and Raven continued to bicker, forgetting their concern over Lexa for the time being.

“So,” Octavia started, keeping her voice low enough that only Lexa could hear her. “What’s been bothering you recently? Other than the obvious ambitious course load on top of work and captaining the team?” She nudged Lexa’s arm with a small encouraging smile.

Lexa let out a deep sigh. “It’s nothing. Just this girl that—“

“There’s a girl?” Raven gasped dramatically, head whipping around to look at Lexa with wide eyes. She smacked at Anya’s arm. “Anya, did you know there was a girl?”

“I definitely did not,” Anya denied.

Lexa rolled her eyes again. This was _exactly_ why she didn’t want to bring the mystery girl up. “It’s not like _that_.”

“One night stand?” Raven guessed. “Though, clearly, it meant more than that if you’re still moping.”

“No. I don’t even know her name.”

“Ouch,” Raven cringed. “Bang a girl and don’t even ask for her name.”

“I didn’t— You know what? I don’t know why I’m even explaining this to you all. It’s none of your business,” Lexa said angrily, trying to push up off of the couch, but Octavia caught her arm.

“Whoa there, Commander. Calm down. Raven was just being Raven,” she said, shooting a glare at the girl over Lexa. “And she’s going to shut up now while you explain.” Her eyes softened as she looked back at Lexa. “Who’s the girl?”

Lexa sighed and slumped back in her seat. “It’s really not like that. I’ve run into her twice now, and I have no idea who she is. But I do know that she’s absolutely infuriating. And she makes no sense whatsoever. Seriously. You guys need to hear this girl talk. One minute she’s staring up at the sky, and the next she’s going off about spoilers and getting enough sleep and she— She knows me somehow! This random girl knows all about me, and she goes off on these tangents about things that make no sense in any way. And it’s absolutely... Aargh!” she yelled, hand flying up to grip at her hair in frustration. “It’s infuriating!”

When she finally stopped to catch her breath, she looked over her friends to find them all staring at her with their mouths hanging open in shock. “What?” she finally asked nervously.

“You’re totally hot for her,” Raven said, snapping out of her shock before the other two. Anya quickly smacked the back of her girlfriend’s head, earning a sharp, “What?”

Anya rolled her eyes at her girlfriend’s lack of tact. “When did you see her last?”

“Two nights ago after my shift in the science building. She showed up after hours and kept me there an hour after I finished just to do who knows what with one of the telescopes.”

“You let her stay after closing to play with the science nerds’ toys?” Octavia asked, brow quirked and fighting off a little smirk.

“It wasn’t like that,” Lexa hastily defended. “She just wouldn’t leave. I would have had to forcefully remove her.”

“You would have with anyone else,” Anya said.

“No I wouldn’t have. No one else would have blatantly ignored me when I told them to leave.”

“Good point.”

“Anyway, when she was finally good and ready to leave, she just disappeared,” Lexa continued, throwing her empty hand up in frustration before letting it fall back to her lap.

“She just left you there by yourself?” Octavia asked.

“No. Well, yes. But I mean it literally. She was there one second, and then I followed after her and she was gone. She actually disappeared.”

“Maybe she’s just fast,” Raven offered.

“Faster than the captain of the soccer team?” Anya countered.

“And the time before that?” Octavia cut in, leaning in closer to Lexa, obviously already pulled in on the mystery of it all.

Lexa looked away, trying to fight off her blush. “I kind of ran into her,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, that’s what you said. You’ve run into her twice. When was the first time?” Octavia pressed.

“No, I actually ran into her. You remember when I was late to practice?” Lexa prompted, knowing none of them would have forgotten that quickly. “Well, I wouldn’t have been more than a minute or two late if it wasn’t for the girl. I ran her over in my rush to get to the field.”

“You tackled a stranger?” Raven asked, barking out a laugh. “You sure know how to make an impression, don’t you?”

Lexa scowled at her. “I didn’t tackle her. And it’s not like it would have mattered if I did. She totally ignored that it happened. Just kept staring up at the sky and going on about spoilers and a national league team.”

“So a nerdy fan of yours?” Raven said, shrugging it off and obviously becoming bored with the realization.

Lexa shook her head adamantly. “Not spoilers for some random show. Spoilers about... Well, I think it was about my future.”

That was met with silence. Well, as silent as it could get with them surrounded by drunk college students.

“So she’s...” Octavia tried, searching for some kind of solution to the mystery. “She’s a wannabe fortune teller?”

Again, Lexa shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. She seemed so sure about it. And she’s so relaxed and confident about everything she says. It’s really annoying, actually.”

“Sounds like someone else we know,” Raven said pointedly.

“Shut up, Reyes,” Lexa bit out, shoving the midfielder away from her. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. You all are no help.” She stood from the couch, tossing her half empty cup into the nearest trashcan. “I’ll see you all at practice Monday.”

“That is, if mystery girl doesn’t trip you up again,” Raven yelled after her.

* * *

 

  
“We have really _got_ to stop meeting like this,” Lexa grumbled as she reached down a hand that she already knew would be ignored to help the girl up.

“Hello, sweetie,” the girl said with a wide grin, hopping back up to her feet more smoothly than Lexa thought she’d ever really be able to move in her entire life. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“We’re on the soccer pitch,” Lexa deadpanned, dropping her hand back to her side. She really didn’t know why she was surprised to find the girl there. And she should be even less surprised to have found her staring up at the sky - though this time the girl was holding up some weird sheet of glass.

“Touché,” the girl admitted before leaning down to pick up the glass that she had dropped in her fall. “Lucky this didn’t break, aren’t we? That would have been a whole world of trouble.”

“Sounds familiar.”

“I haven’t a clue what you’re referring to,” the girl said innocently as she went back to staring through the glass at the sky.

“Oh, I don’t know. How about a telescope worth more than my entire college education and then some?” Lexa walked around the girl so she could look her in the face. “Do I even want to know what you’re up to now?”

“Well, dearest Lexa, _I_ am currently holding in my hands an invaluable object of great importance,” the girl explained, absentmindedly flicking a stray bit of hair off of her forehead. “So, it would be really great if we could refrain from potentially breaking this thing.”

“It’s a piece of glass.”

“That it is.”

Lexa looked flatly at the girl, waiting for more of an explanation. When none was forthcoming, she crossed her arms. “Okay, I’ll play along. Why are you more concerned about a piece of glass than you were about equipment that it would take me my entire life to pay for?”

The girl smirked, keeping her eyes glued to the sky. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“You’re infuriating.”

“You may have mentioned that before. Or maybe you will mention it. I always get those mixed up.” The girl finally looked back down at Lexa, taking her in. “Why are you dressed like that?”

Lexa looked down at her soccer kit before looking back up at the girl with a quirked brow. “My kit. For soccer. Because there’s a game today on this field. You know, the soccer field you’re standing directly in the middle of.” And she really did mean the exact middle. Because, if Lexa was a betting girl, she’d bet that the blonde was standing in the exact center of the field, not an inch off by the looks of it.

The girl hummed and looked back up through the glass. “It suits you.”

“Of course it does. I’m the soccer captain. It’s kind of my thing.”

Another soft hum was her only response. And then they stood there in silence for minutes on end, the girl looking up at the sky, and Lexa watching the girl expectantly. What exactly she was expecting, Lexa wasn’t sure. But she was sure something was going to happen before their encounter was over.

“Well,” the girl finally said, breaking the silence and bringing the glass down to her side, “you might as well go change.”

“And why would I do that?”

“The game’s going to be cancelled.”

Lexa’s brow scrunched. “No it’s not. Why would it be cancelled?”

“Because,” the girl said, turning away from Lexa and walking back to the tunnel. “I’m going to need the field tonight.”

“Oh, and just because _you_ need the field, my game is going to be cancelled?” Lexa asked, jogging to catch up to the girl as she walked quickly away. She fell into step beside her and waited for an answer.

The girl nodded. “Yes. Now, here’s your stop.” The girl stopped outside of the girls’ locker room. “Get changed. You’ll get a text in a bit telling you it’s cancelled.”

“I think I’ll wait until I hear that officially.”

“Five.”

“What?”

“Four.”

“Because a countdown isn’t ominous at all.”

“Three,” the girl continued, smiling knowingly at Lexa.

“You can really stop anytime now.”

“Two,” she looked down at Lexa’s pocket where Lexa’s phone was.

“Seriously, that’s unnecessary.”

“One.” And then the girl pointed at Lexa’s pocket as her phone vibrated and gave off the notification sound. “I told you.”

“How did you— No. it’s probably just a coincidence,” Lexa rambled as she pulled her phone out. “There’s no way that you’d—“ Lexa’s jaw dropped as she read the text from her coach letting her and the rest of the team know that the game was cancelled because of unforeseeable circumstances. “How...?”

When she looked up, the girl was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a reference in there!! Anyone catch it?
> 
> The chapters are all probably going to be around this length, give or take. So if you like that, good. If not... well, sorry. But at least they’ll be kinda quick reads for you!
> 
> More and more clues, right? Any new guesses? So far we have an alien, time traveler, and Doctor Who. I think that’s about it. I’d love to hear more guesses, though. See if anyone can get it right. AND, if anyone does, at the end of this story, I’ll write you a one shot in this universe. If you’d like. So good luck! I won’t let anyone know if they’re right/wrong until the end. 
> 
> Comments/questions/Kudos are always loved and welcomed with open arms. And you can find me on tumblr @musiclurv


	4. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Distractions, a cube, and an introduction.

Lexa’s pen tapped steadily against her textbook, a highlighter tucked behind her ear for easy access. She had light instrumental music playing, had her lights on just how she liked them, and was closed off from the world.

But still, she couldn’t concentrate. She glanced at her phone to check the time, and noted that she had now wasted almost an hour staring at the same page of her book without comprehending anything. All because of a certain irritating blonde that was now pestering her even when she wasn’t in the vicinity.

“She’s probably still there,” Lexa murmured to herself as she looked out her window, the clear night sky shimmering back at her. “Staring up at all that, no doubt...”

Lexa tried to go back to her book, but she just kept getting more and more annoyed at the fact that her game was cancelled for _whatever_ the other girl was up to. And, damn it all, Lexa was going to find out just what was so important that she couldn’t do what she did best.

She slammed her book shut, threw her pen and highlighter on her desk, and then stood, grabbing her jacket on the way out. Because she was going to figure out just what the hell was going on, if it was the last thing she did.

So she marched out of her dorm, down the hall, and out of the building, intent on finding the mystery girl and finally getting the truth out of her. She deserved that much, didn’t she? 

The tunnel leading to the pitch was eerily dark as she made her way through it, her sneakers making barely a sound as she walked. Not that she had to worry about sneaking up on the girl. She probably wouldn’t even notice Lexa until she was run over, if then.

Lexa rolled her eyes at the thought as she made her way out onto the pitch. The pitch that she _should have_ been just coming off of after a game that her team _would have_ won, if given the chance.

And there she was, back turned to Lexa, in all of her blonde, stupidly beautiful glory. Lexa scowled as she went to take another step toward the girl.

“I was wondering when you’d get here,” the girl said, not turning from her spot at center field to look at Lexa.

Lexa faltered in her steps, coming to a stop barely on the pitch. “How did you know it was me?”

The girl shrugged as she fiddled with whatever was in her hands. “Spoilers.”

“What does that even mean?” Lexa asked exasperatedly, hands spread out in front of her in frustration. She stomped over to the girl.

When she was finally facing the girl, she noticed the smirk the blonde was sporting. “Wouldn’t you like to know, Captain.”

“Yes. I really would like to know. So explain.”

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you how to ask nicely?”

Lexa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Fine. Would you _please_ explain what the hell is going on?” 

The girl finally looked up at Lexa, a smile dancing in her eyes. “No. But thank you for asking politely.” Her hands continued to work with the little cube she was holding, though her eyes didn’t stray from Lexa once she looked at her. “I was starting to think you were going to make me wait all night, you know.”

“Well I didn’t exactly get an invitation from you.” Lexa pointed at the little cube. “What is that?”

“I thought letting you know I would be here would be enough of an invitation for you. You do seem to follow me around a lot.” Her fingers flew deftly over the cube, pressing different buttons and switches on it.

Lexa scoffed. “I’m not following you. If anything, you’re the one that keeps showing up wherever I am.”

“Weird. It’s as if I know where you’re going to be or something,” the girl said with a knowing smirk before looking away from Lexa and back down at the cube in her hands. She let out a triumphant hum and held the cube out to Lexa. “Hold this for a second.”

And, against her better judgement, Lexa took the cube and held it up in the palm of her hand. “Why am I holding this?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” the girl mumbled, adjusting the cube in Lexa’s hand. Then, with one more press to a button directly in the center on the top of the cube, she smiled brightly. “You ready?”

“Ready for what?” Lexa asked with an exasperated huff.

The girl chuckled before pushing Lexa’s hand down a little. The cube began to glow, and the light reflected in the girl’s eyes, making them sparkle like the stars themselves. “This,” she said, and then she grabbed the cube from Lexa and tossed it up into the air.

And that’s where it remained, suspended and glowing and starting to spin slowly. And then faster, and faster, and even faster until it was a blur to Lexa.

“What the hell is it doing?” Lexa asked, startled as the glow of the cube became brighter.

The girl stood, hands on her hips, watching the cube expectantly. “Spinning.”

“Obviously. Maybe a little more information, though?”

“And glowing.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. She should have known better than to expect any sort of helpful answer from the girl. “Okay, then. _Why_ is it spinning and glowing?”

“Because that’s what it’s supposed to do.” And without any sort of warning, the cube suddenly stopped, dropping back down to land softly in the girl’s outstretched hand. “And now it’s finished.”

“And are you finished?”

The girl laughed lightly. “I’m never finished. But thus is life.” She looked up at Lexa, her smile softening almost tenderly. “You’re finished for the night though, I think.”

“I didn’t even do anything.”

“Didn’t you?” the girl asked, brow quirked expectantly. “You held this for me.” She held up the cube between them again, and Lexa noticed that it still gave off a faint blue glow.

“And are you going to tell me exactly what that is?”

“Nope,” the girl said with a grin, popping the ‘p’ happily. “But look.” She pointed directly above them, and Lexa followed her direction until she was staring up at a sky full of stars.

“What exactly am I looking at?” 

Her view was suddenly blocked by a familiar printout with a dark bit of sky directly in the center. “Now look,” the girl said again as she pulled the paper back again.

And where there used to be nothing but darkness, a small flicker of light shone.

“Are you saying that you just created a star with a little box?” Lexa asked. She looked down at the girl, jaw dropped in shock. She really, truly couldn’t believe that she was actually talking to an insane person. Though, the girl hadn’t really attempted to prove her sanity since the moment Lexa had met her the first time. But still. To claim to have _put a star_ in the sky was just too much.

The girl shook her head. “Of course not.”

Lexa breathed a sigh of relief. So maybe the girl wasn’t quite as insane as she was beginning to think.

“I just reminded it who it was.”

Or maybe she was.  

* * *

 

“And then I threw a book at his face. But he deserved it!” Raven claimed loudly, thumping her fist down on the lunch table adamantly.

“I’m sure he did, babe,” Anya appeased, patting Raven on her shoulder.

Octavia crossed her arms and quirked her brow at her best friend. “Or maybe you over reacted just a little. I highly doubt Murphy deserved a textbook to the face. His nose will never be the same again.”

“I did the world a service,” Raven said firmly.

“By sending a boy to the hospital?”

Raven scoffed. “He was a baby about it. I could have reset it right there for him if he’d have let me.”

“Surely he should have trusted you with that after you chucked a textbook at him,” Octavia said sarcastically. 

“He deserved the book,” Raven said, pointing at Octavia. “He was being a dick. But I would have helped him after that. He served his punishment.”

“Judge, jury, and executioner over here, ladies and gentlemen,” Octavia said with a roll of her eyes.

Raven shrugged. “I just happened to be the only one around with the gall to do it.”

“Isn’t that always the case?” Anya asked, a bit of a teasing smile pulling at her lips.

“Just because I’m not a pansy,” Raven said cheekily, grinning up at her girlfriend.

“I guess we should just be grateful she didn’t blow him up,” Octavia relented, sighing as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. She glanced over at Lexa, who had remained quiet since sitting down to eat with them. “You okay, Commander?”

Lexa hummed in acknowledgement, but continued to stare down at her untouched food.

Octavia met Raven’s eyes quickly before scooting closer to their captain. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Lexa mumbled, her brow furrowed in thought. “Just a lot on my mind.”

“So just like any other day,” Raven said teasingly.

“Right,” Lexa agreed without thought, pushing her fork through her green beans. 

A beat of silence before Anya finally stepped in. “Spill, Commander. What’s going on?”

Lexa finally looked up from her plate, briefly meeting Anya’s eyes before looking back down again, her shoulders slumped. “Do you remember that girl I was telling you all about?” 

“The one you’ve fallen for repeatedly?” Raven asked.

Lexa shot a glare at her. “I haven’t fallen for her. Ever. She just always gets in the way.” 

“Right. So what about her?” Octavia pressed. 

Lexa sighed. “I’ve seen her twice more since then.”

“Still sweeping her off her feet?”

“Shut up, Raven,” Octavia berated. “Did you figure out anything else about her?”

Lexa scoffed. “Hardly. The only thing I know about her is that she’s probably certifiably insane.” Lexa put her fork down and looked up at her friends. “I mean, seriously. The girl’s insane. She says and does these things that make absolutely no sense at all.”

“Says the girl that’s seen a beautiful blonde four times now that no one else has ever seen once,” Anya said flatly.

Lexa glared at her. “Just what are you trying to say, Anya?”

Anya shrugged. “You may just need a little more rest, Lex. I think your lack of sleep may finally be getting to you.”

“And I’m hallucinating the same girl every time? In different places?”

“Stranger things have happened.”

“She’s right, you know,” Octavia said. “You could probably use more sleep. You’ve been pushing yourself incredibly hard recently.”

“And just what, exactly, should I cut back on so I can get more sleep?” Lexa asked sharply. “Classes? Work? _Soccer_?” She looked at them expectantly and was met with chided expressions. “Exactly. I don’t have an option to sleep more right now. But I’m fine. This girl... she’s real. Trust me, if I was hallucinating, it wouldn’t be of an obnoxiously annoying girl that won’t answer any questions that I ask her.”

Anya just hummed, going back to eating her own lunch.

“Maybe just try to get some rest before practice tonight, okay?” Octavia asked gently.

“Sure,” Lexa agreed noncommittally. She already knew it wasn’t going to happen. She had an exam to prepare for before practice. But if it’d end the conversation, Lexa would let them think she would.

“I’m going back to my dorm. See you at practice.” And with that, Lexa gathered up her things and still full plate, leaving her friends to finish their lunches without her. 

“That wasn’t a very nice thing to say.”

Lexa jumped as she walked out of the cafeteria, almost dropping her plate. She spun around quickly, glare already in place as her eyes fell on the very girl she was just talking about.

“And that’s not a very nice way to look at a friend,” the blonde said. She pushed off of the wall she was leaning against, walking toward Lexa and taking her plate from her. She put the plate down in the dish drop and turned back to Lexa.

“We’re not friends,” Lexa finally said, still glaring at the girl. “I don’t even know your name. How the hell am I supposed to be friends with someone I know literally nothing about? Not to mention, you’re nothing but trouble. Every time I run into you, something else weird happens.” She pointed at the girl. “Speaking of, what are you doing here? I won’t be dragged into something else.”

“Clarke.”

“Excuse me?” Lexa asked, glare dropping into a confused furrow of her brows.

“My name is Clarke.” She gave a mock bow before standing straight again. “And you have yet to be dragged into anything. If my memory serves, you’ve walked into everything yourself.”

_Clarke_. The oddity of the name suited her. But that was neither here nor there.

“Only because you were always up to something that could have caused a lot of trouble,” Lexa shot back.

“And you, of course, had to keep me out of trouble,” Clarke said, fighting back a laugh. “My hero.”

And her glare was back. “Don’t mock me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“You just did.”

Clarke just hummed with a shrug and turned away from Lexa. She began walking down the hall and made it halfway before stopping and turning back to a fuming Lexa. “Well, are you coming?”

And of course, _of course_ , Lexa followed.

Just like the idiot she was finding herself to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has taken me days to get up because Ao3 has been acting up. So, sorry for the delay. But there ya go!!
> 
> What could the cube be?? What was Clarke actually up to? Will Lexa ever get any answers? Will we ever get any answers?? 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Your comments/questions/Kudos are always loved and welcomed on any day. You can find me on tumblr @musiclurv


	5. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tower, paintings, and a star.

Lexa followed Clarke out of campus. And then down the road. And then through the park. And...

“You know, I do own a car. We could have driven.”

“It’s nice out. And cars just get in the way. We’ll be there soon,” Clarke answered over her shoulder, continuing to walk without missing a step.

“And where, exactly, is ‘there?’” Lexa asked. She still had no idea why she was following this girl. She barely knew her, and for all she knew, she was about to be brutally murdered. But, damn it all, she was curious and wanted to find out what the hell Clarke was all about.

“The tower.”

“There aren’t any towers around here.”

“Sure there are. People just never notice them.”

Lexa scoffed. “I’m pretty sure people would notice a tower in the middle of town.”

Clarke stopped and turned to face Lexa, brow quirked and a smirk gracing her lips. “Do you really think they would? Because, in my experience, humans can be pretty oblivious to the obvious.”

“You say that as if you aren’t a human.”

“I say a lot of things as if I’m not a human,” Clarke challenged.

“But, are you—“

“We’re here,” Clarke said, turning back from Lexa. She reached out her hand, holding it up as if she was pressing it against a wall.

Lexa looked around them and saw... absolutely nothing. They were just in the middle of the town off campus, standing in the middle of the little park outside of Town Hall. “There’s nothing here, Clarke.”

“I like that.” She turned back to Lexa, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back.

“Like what?”

“The way you say my name. It sounds different than how other people say it.”

And Lexa definitely didn’t blush at that. At all. “Whatever. Are we going in or...” Lexa’s jaw dropped. And Clarke’s smirk returned.

Because Clarke was leaning back against a brick wall that definitely wasn’t there a minute ago. A brick wall that was just one side of an incredibly tall tower that Lexa had to crane her neck to see all of.

“What the hell...”

“I told you. Humans are just notoriously oblivious to the obvious. This has been here for hundreds of years. And yet...” Clarke shrugged and pushed off the wall. “Shall we?” She gestured toward the door expectantly, a small bronze key in her hand.

Lexa just nodded. Should she follow the crazy girl into what used to be an invisible tower? No. Was she going to anyway?

Absolutely.

* * *

 

“This makes no sense.”

Clarke chuckled. “So you’ve said. At least a dozen times. But, here we are.” She led them further up the spiraling staircase.

“But here we are...” Lexa mumbled back, looking around them in awe. The walls were covered in paintings from around the world, most depicting the night sky in some fashion. And the iron stairs seemed to go on forever above them. But there was a light at what Lexa could only assume was the top, and Clarke didn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

So Lexa continued to follow her, only getting distracted by the paintings every few steps.

“I think we would have been there by now if you’d stop stopping,” Clarke said with a laugh, coming to a stop a few steps ahead of Lexa. She leaned against a patch of wall that didn’t have a painting hanging on it.

“These are just... They’re amazing,” Lexa said, staring at another painting of the stars.

“Thank you,” Clarke said before turning and beginning to walk up more stairs.

“Are they yours?” Lexa asked. It must have taken the girl years to collect so many paintings from around the world if they were hers. But, if the tower was as old as Clarke said, then other people _must_ have helped accumulate them. Because _someone_ else must have known about this place.

“Every last one of them. I have to document as much as I can, after all.”

“Wait.” Lexa came to another stop, staring up at Clarke in shock. “You _painted_ all of these?”

Clarke looked over her shoulder at Lexa. “Of course. How else would you document the stars than by creating an image of them. Words just can’t describe everything.”

“But why— how—“ Lexa stumbled over her questions. She didn’t even know where to begin.

Clarke laughed. “Still having trouble figuring it out, huh?” She continued up the stairs. “Let’s just get to the top. I think you’ll find some answers there.”

Lexa was pretty sure that she was only going to find more questions.

* * *

 

She was right, of course. Because the top of the tower was just a large room with charts and maps and more paintings spread along tables and walls, leaving barely any space uncovered.

“What is this place?” Lexa asked, standing in the middle of the room and taking everything in as best she could.

“My office. Well, my family’s office. But I’m the one that uses it most. Mom and Dad are halfway across the world, and it’d hardly be practical for them to travel all the way back here just to use the office. They each have their own, anyway,” Clarke rambled, rustling through a bin full of rolled up papers. She pulled one out with a triumphant shout and made her way over to one of the tables, unrolling the paper along the way. “I wanted you to see this,” she explained, waving Lexa over to her. She stretched the paper out on the table, using various knick-knacks to hold the corners down flat.

Lexa made her way over, standing beside Clarke to look down at the star chart. “You’re obsessed with stars, aren’t you?”

Clarke chuckled. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Is there another way to put it?” Lexa asked.

“I’m sure there are many other ways to put it. But we’ll leave it at your apt description for now.” Clarke pointed down at the chart, pointing at one particular star. “Do you know this one?”

“Should I?” Lexa asked with a quirk of her brow.

Clarke smirked. “You should be familiar with it. It’s the same one from the other night.”

“Okay...?” Lexa said, still very much confused.

“Its story isn’t over yet.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “What does that even mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. This star’s story isn’t over yet. It’s actually just begun. In this lifetime, at least. The next part is a bit foggy, even for me.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you make absolutely no sense whatsoever?” Lexa stepped away from the table, crossing her arms and looking at Clarke accusingly.

Clarke just smiled. “Often, actually. Most often by you, recently. But that’s not the issue right now. The issue is that this star,” Clarke said, pointing to another star on the side of the star chart, “isn’t there.”

“Isn’t where?” Lexa asked, interest frustratingly piqued. She inched closer and glanced back down at the chart and the star that Clarke was now pointing at.

“Where it’s supposed to be.”

“Then where is it?”

Clarke smiled up at Lexa. “That is the question, isn’t it?” She stood straight abruptly, darting across the room to grab a bag that she promptly began to gather random odds and ends into. “Roll that chart back up, will you?”

“What are you doing?” Lexa asked, pushing the items that Clarke had used to hold the chart down off of the paper before rolling it up. And why exactly was she listening to Clarke’s request? She had _absolutely_ no idea.

“Getting ready. This one’s going to be a fun one.” She threw what looked to be a pair of pants into the bag, followed by a small telescope and a paintbrush.

“A fun _what_?” Lexa asked frustratedly. Clarke walked over to her, grabbing the rolled up chart from her hands and stuffing it into her bag as well.

And then she kissed Lexa on the cheek, tapped her on the nose, and said cheekily. “See you soon.”

And, with a wink, she turned and left Lexa at the top of the tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Another chapter finished. Hope you all liked this as much as the rest. And to those fellow DW fans, no outright River references in this one. I slacked a bit. 
> 
> Idk about y’all, but I’d love a disappearing tower. Because, how cool is that? Any new guesses now that there are more clues? 
> 
> Questions, comments, Kudos and requests are always loved (and answered). You can also find me on tumblr @musiclurv


	6. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frustrations, drills, and space.

Lexa kicked the ball with all her might.

And it launched straight past Octavia and into the back corner of the net.

Raven let out an impressed whistle, the rest of their team stopping their own practice sets to watch their captain kick ball after ball past their best goalie. “Got some pent up anger there, Cap?” Raven asked.

Lexa just launched another ball, bowling past Octavia’s outstretched arm and into the upper corner.

“And, by the bags under her eyes, I’d say she didn’t get that rest like we told her to,” Anya said, sidling up next to Raven with her arms crossed and an angry scowl on her face.

“Shouldn’t you both be running drills?” Lexa asked, teeth clenched as she gestured impatiently for Octavia to kick the ball back to her.

“I think I’m going to do some stretches, Lex. Take a little break from hitting the turf,” Octavia said, tossing the ball back to Lexa. “Get Monroe if you want to keep shooting.”

“You can’t just take a break from being a keeper during a game, Blake!” Lexa shouted after her. Octavia just waved her off and jogged over to where the defensive line was doing some stretches. “Lazy, unprofessional, undisciplined little—“

“Whoa there, Captain. Maybe take it easy on her, yeah?” Raven said, holding her hands up placatingly. “We’ve been running drills for the past two hours. How about we call it a night?”

Lexa grunted and turned away from her friends. “Tell the team to hit the showers.”

“What about you?” Anya asked, nodding for Raven to go let the others know that they were finished for the evening.

“I’m going to take a few laps. See you tomorrow.” And with that, she ran off, leaving her team behind her.

* * *

 

Lexa grunted as she kicked another ball into the empty net, adding to the pile that was laying behind the line.

“You know, that’s usually more difficult when you’re actually playing against someone.”

Lexa ignored her and kicked another ball into the goal. And another. And another.

Clarke walked up to her side, eyes trained on the empty goal and the scattered balls that had begun to roll out. “How about you try that with me in the goal?”

“Have you ever even played?” Lexa asked, pushing some sweat soaked hair away from her forehead.

Clarke shrugged. “Maybe. But I’m sure the captain of the soccer team would have no trouble playing against me.” She walked into the net, kicking a ball to Lexa.

“Do you ever give a straight answer?” Lexa asked, accepting the ball that Clarke kicked her way.

“I don’t do anything straight,” Clarke said with a cheeky grin. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got, Cap.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, dribbling the ball a bit down the field and away from Clarke. She turned back to face the would-be goalie and then she was off, lining up for a ball that would surely hit the back of the net with no problem.

Except Clarke caught it.

With her bare hands.

Lexa gasped in breath, hands on her knees as she stared at Clarke in shock. “How did you do that? Even Octavia would have had difficulty blocking that.”

Clarke shrugged and dropped the ball onto the ground in front of her. “You’re probably tired after practicing for so long. Miscalculated the angle. How long have you been out here, anyway?”

“I’m sure you know the answer to that if you’re here.” Lexa stood straight and walked over to the sideline, grabbing the ball bag to start cleaning up the field.

Clarke just shrugged again, moving to help Lexa gather the balls scattered around the field.

“Were you waiting for me?” the blonde finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

“Why would I have been waiting for you?” Lexa asked, not looking up to meet Clarke’s eyes that she could feel following her.

“Were you worried?”

“Again, why would I be?” She tossed the last ball into the bag and dragged it off the field, leaving it in the tunnel. “I’m going to get a shower.”

And, for the first time, Lexa walked away from Clarke.

* * *

 

“That wasn’t very polite,” Clarke pouted, lip jutted out as she watched Lexa walk out of the locker room.

Lexa finished pulling her hair up into a messy bun and let her hands fall to her sides. “So, when I walk away from you, it’s not polite. But, when you walk away from me, it’s not a problem at all?”

“I always have a reason,” Clarke challenged, toeing at the tile beneath her sneakers.

“I did, too. I wanted to get a shower.”

“It was still rude.”

“I don’t need to explain myself to you, Clarke.” Lexa began to walk away, but quickly spun back around, pointing accusingly at Clarke. “In fact, I have no reason to be polite to you at all. You keep showing up without preamble, you say and do confusing things, you give no explanation, and then you just _disappear_. Why should I have to be polite or considerate when you don’t offer the same to me?”

Clarke opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, and then abruptly closed it.

“Exactly. So, are we finished here?” She glared at Clarke expectantly.

Clarke shook her head, a sad smile on her lips. “No where near, Lex. But I’ll leave you alone. Seems like you need some space.”

The corner of Clarke’s lips twitched as if she was trying to hold back a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Lexa asked, watching Clarke suspiciously.

“Nothing at all. I’ll see you later.” With a small wave, Clarke turned and walked away.

And, for some reason, it seemed like a sadder goodbye than Lexa was ever expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s so short this time around. But there ya have it. Another chapter down and some more clues dropped. Sort of. Maybe. A little. 
> 
> Comments/questions/requests/Kudos are always loved. And you can find me on tumblr @musiclurv if you want.


	7. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A locker, a box, and a game.

Lexa had just finished pulling her jersey over her head when she heard Octavia drop her duffle on the floor and let out a surprised, “Huh.”

Lexa turned to look at the keeper. “What’s wrong?”

Octavia fumbled in her locker, reaching to the top and pulling out a small box. “I didn’t put this in here. This is my locker, right?” She closed the door and looked at the number again, as if she’d actually go to the wrong locker after four years of having the same one.

Eyes locked on the box in Octavia’s hand, Lexa stood frozen. “Where did that come from?” she asked stiffly.

“That’s exactly my question,” Octavia said, opening her locker back up while looking at Lexa. “Or did you miss the ‘I didn’t put this in here’?”

Lexa quickly closed the distance between them, pointing at the box. “Give me that.”

“Why?” Octavia asked, holding the box tighter. “What is it?”

“Do you remember that girl I told you about?” Octavia nodded warily. “She did something weird with a box just like that. And whatever the hell it is, it’s not something you should be messing with.”

“But it’s something you should be messing with?” Octavia challenged, glaring suspiciously at Lexa.

Lexa rolled her eyes. “No. I don’t want to mess with it. But I’m going to find Clarke and figure out why it ended up in your locker.”

“Who’s Clarke?” Raven asked, making her presence known. The locker room door slammed open again, announcing another person entering. “And what’s that?” She reached out a hand as if to take the box from Octavia, but quickly jerked her arm back as a small spark shot out and hit her hand. “What the fuck?” She yelped, rubbing her hand where the spark had hit her.

“You okay, babe?” Anya asked, coming up behind Raven.

Raven glared at the box. “No. That thing just shocked me.” She quickly looked to Lexa. “What the hell is going on?”

“Why do you presume it has anything to do with me? Octavia’s the one holding the dumb thing.” She crossed her arms and glared right back at Raven.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Raven said sarcastically, throwing her hands out around her. “Maybe because weird things keep happening around here, and you seem to always be in the center of them.”

“Technically, I’m in the center of them,” Clarke said, leaning against a locker casually with that infuriating smirk on her lips. She pushed off the locker and walked over to Octavia, holding out a gloved hand. “I can take that off your hands. Thanks for your assistance.”

“Uhm, sure. Anytime,” Octavia said, clearly confused, but handing the box over to Clarke. Clarke took the box and dropped it into the bag hanging off her shoulder.

Lexa sighed in annoyance, reaching up to rub at her forehead. Apparently the headache was just starting. “I want to be surprised that you’re here, but I’m not.”

Clarke looked at Lexa over her shoulder, winking at her. “Missed you, too.”

“Who said anything about missing you?” Lexa challenged, feeling a smile pulling at her lips despite herself. Why was she smiling? Who the hell knew.

Clarke hummed. “You didn’t need to say it.”

“Of course not.”

“You ready?”

Lexa let her arms fall to her sides. “What exactly should I be ready for this time?”

Clarke turned to her, fighting off her own teasing smile. “Who am I to ruin the surprise?”

“What?” Raven asked, shaking out of her confusion and surprise first. “Wait. Just... _what_?”

“My thoughts exactly,” Anya agreed, looking between Lexa and Clarke suspiciously.

“Same,” Octavia agreed, eyes still drifting down to Clarke’s bag occasionally.

Lexa held her hand out, motioning for Clarke to explain. “If you would.”

Clarke chuckled. “Since when did I ever explain anything?”

“Do you see what I put up with?” Lexa asked, looking to her friends expectantly. She almost laughed at their looks of surprise. But, to be fair, she had warned them about Clarke’s... oddities.

“Oh, you don’t even know the half of it yet,” Clarke teased.

“Exactly my point,” Lexa challenged. She sighed, her shoulders drooping in defeat. “Everyone, this is Clarke. That random, infuriating girl I was telling you about before. Clarke, meet Anya, Raven, and Octavia.”

“Pleasure,” Clarke said, walking past Lexa and toward the door. “I’d stay to chat, but we have places to be. Lex?” she called over her shoulder.

Lexa turned to watch her go. “I have a game today, you know.”

Clarke sighed as if she was experiencing a major inconvenience. “I guess I can wait. But we’ll have to leave right after you’re finished, alright?”

“Where are we going?” Lexa asked, sitting down on the bench to pull on her cleats. She figured fighting the inevitable was just a waste of energy at this point.

“Ah,” Clarke said, sitting down next to Lexa. “Again with the spoilers. What is it with you people and always needing to know what’s going to happen?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe we like to know what we’re about to get ourselves into. What does that feel like, anyway?”

“Feels pretty good, to be honest,” Clarke answered with a cheeky grin.

“Okay, seriously. Wait,” Raven said, straddling the bench on the other side of Clarke. “Who are you?”

“Clarke. Like Lexa said,” Clarke said, meeting Raven’s confused glare.

“But _who_ are you?” Raven challenged. “Clarke _who_?”

“Just Clarke. For now. You’re not ready yet, though. Give it some time,” Clarke said, looking Raven up and down.

Raven jerked back. “Excuse me?”

Clarke grinned. “You’ll see. Promise.” She looked up at Anya then. “You too, of course. But not yet.”

“I’m not sure what you’re suggesting, but I don’t think I like it,” Anya said flatly. She looked to her girlfriend and then back to Clarke.

“Sometimes we don’t have a choice in the matter,” Clarke said before turning back to Lexa. “So I’ll see you after the game?”

“Can I at least shower first?” Lexa asked defeatedly.

Clarke smiled and patted Lexa’s knee. “I guess. But you’ve got to be quick. We don’t have all night.”

“Of course we don’t.”

Clarke squeezed Lexa’s knee and then pushed off the bench, walking toward the locker room door. “See you soon, Lex.”

“Hold on a second,” Octavia called, halting Clarke in her steps. “What was that box? What are you doing with it? Why was it in my locker?”

Clarke turned back again, a soft smile directed toward Octavia. “You’re half of the solution, Octavia Blake.”

“The solution to what?”

“A very important problem. Thank you for your assistance. You’ve helped more than just me.” Clarke nodded her thanks, then turned and walked out of the locker room, leaving the four in silence.

Lexa shook her head with a sigh, finished adjusting her shin guard, and then stood from the bench. “The others should be here soon, so you all better get finished suiting up. We need to be out on the field—“

“What the hell was all that?” Raven barked, staring at the closed locker room door.

“That was Clarke. The most infuriatingly frustrating girl I have ever met.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what could Clarke possibly be getting up to now? And is everyone going to be involved from now on? What even is happening? 
> 
> Honestly, those were all questions I had to ask at this point when writing this crazy thing. So you’re not alone in your confusion. 
> 
> Questions/comments/requests/Kudos are loved. Find me on tumblr @musiclurv


	8. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bikes, brothers, and boxes

“So, why did you decide that bringing Octavia into whatever this is was a good idea?” Lexa asked, following Clarke out of the soccerplex and into the parking lot.

“What exactly is ‘this’?” Clarke asked with that infuriating smirk present yet again.

Lexa rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. I was under the impression that I’m the only one you pester with nonsensical things.”

“Did you just use ‘nonsensical’ seriously in a sentence?”

“Yes. Now, answer the question.”

Clarke stopped by a motorcycle, unzipping one of the saddlebags. “I told you already. She’s half of the solution. Now we’re going to the second half. Hopefully we aren’t too late to finish this today.”

“It’s four,” Lexa said flatly, watching as Clarke pulled out a helmet from one saddlebag, and moved to pull a second out of the other.

“We have a bit of a ride ahead of us,” Clarke said, handing over one of the helmets to Lexa. “It should fit.”

Lexa stared at the helmet before meeting Clarke’s eyes again, not moving an inch closer to the bike. “I have a car.”

“And I have a motorcycle. What’s your point?” She took a step closer to Lexa, the helmet still held out expectantly.

“My point is that my car is a much safer option than your bike.”

“Depends on who’s driving,” Clarke challenged. She raised her brows expectantly and wiggled the helmet. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Not in the least,” Lexa said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Clarke chuckled. “And yet, you’re still going to get on the bike.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, but reached out and grabbed the helmet. “If you kill me on this thing, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

Clarke’s smile seemed to fall just slightly, but quickly reformed into a wide grin. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t,” Lexa mumbled, sliding the helmet on and fumbling with the chin straps.

“Let me,” Clarke offered, gently pushing Lexa’s hands away so she could adjust the straps to fit Lexa snugly. “There. Fits like it was made for you.” She pulled Lexa’s visor down before tapping it teasingly. “What a coincidence.”

“I’m starting to learn that nothing is really a coincidence when it comes to you.”

Clarke pulled her own helmet on and mounted her bike. “It took you long enough on that one, didn’t it?” She patted the seat behind her. “Hop on.”

“I still think my car is a perfectly viable option here,” Lexa said, warily climbing on behind Clarke. She fumbled with where to put her hands, deciding to rest them on her own thighs uneasily.

Clarke laughed again, grabbing Lexa’s hands and pulling them around herself. “Hold on tight, Lex. Gotta keep you safe.”

“Right. Safety first.”

“Exactly,” Clarke said, and Lexa could hear the laughter in her voice. And, without any warning, Clarke kicked the kickstand up, started her bike, and launched them forward.

* * *

 

“Where are we going?” Lexa yelled over the wind over three hours later. Clarke had been driving nonstop and showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.

“Almost there,” Clarke yelled back, never taking her eyes off the road in front of her. She did reach one hand off the handlebars to pat Lexa’s clasped hands reassuringly. Lexa, with all her willpower, was keeping her hands clasped together against Clarke’s abdomen and was not letting them clasp at the warm waist she could feel rising and falling with each breath. No matter how tempting it was. Because this was _Clarke_ , the most infuriating person she has ever dealt with, and she was _not_ attracted to her. Nope. Not in the least.

(Maybe a little. But no one needed to know that.)

Finally, _finally_ , Clarke pulled off the highway onto a very familiar exit, and... _shit_.

“How do you know where I live?” Lexa asked, anger and a little bit of fear seeping into her words. But of course she couldn’t jump away from Clarke, because Clarke was still driving down the road and closer and closer to Lexa’s home.

She felt Clarke shrug. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t know it was the place _you_ lived?”

Clarke pulled into the all too familiar drive and pulled her bike to a stop. After which, Lexa quickly dismounted (and totally didn’t almost lose her balance), only to pull her helmet off and glare daggers at Clarke. “What the fuck kind of game are you playing, Clarke?”

Clarke calmly kicked the kickstand back into place, turning the bike off and pocketing her keys. She climbed off her bike and pulled her helmet off, placing it on the seat before turning to Lexa. “This is anything but a game, Lex. But I really am _not_ here for you.”

“Then why the hell did you drive me here?” Lexa all but yelled, throwing her helmet at Clarke. “This isn’t funny or cute or whatever you think it is. You’re pushing into stalker territory, and I’m half tempted to call the cops now.”

“Half tempted,” Clarke repeated. “Because you’re still curious. Always have been, and always will be.” Clarke set Lexa’s helmet down next to her own. She walked toward Lexa, and Lexa braced herself for whatever Clarke was about to do. But Clarke just continued past her, walking up to the front door of Lexa’s home.

The house was large. Not overly extravagant, but still nice enough to know that the Woods family had money. (Enough money, in fact, for many of Lexa’s friends to ask why she was working a job on top of school and soccer. But, Lexa was nothing if not stubborn. And if she could pay for at least some of her education, she was going to.)

Lexa quickly turned and chased after her, grabbing Clarke’s wrist before she could knock on the front door. “Again, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Knocking. It’s rude to just walk into someone’s home,” Clarke said, raising her other hand and knocking before Lexa could stop her.

Lexa continued to glare at Clarke, ready to jump into another rant about how _freaking creepy_ this all was becoming, but the door opened before she could get a single word out.

Clarke smiled at the newcomer, and Lexa quickly turned her head to see her brother. Her brother who was looking at them with a severely confused expression, glancing between Clarke, to Lexa, to Lexa’s hand still holding Clarke’s arm halfway to the door.

Lexa quickly dropped Clarke’s arm.

“Lex...” Lincoln started, brow raised in confusion. “What’s going on?”

Lexa shot another glare at Clarke before pushing past her brother and into the house. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to figure out.”

Lincoln turned in the doorway, motioning for Clarke to follow Lexa in. “So you’re here because...”

“Because I brought her along,” Clarke chimed in, reaching out to shake Lincoln’s hand happily. “I’m Clarke. Lexa’s a little wary of me right now, but there’s no need to be worried at all. I just need your help.”

“ _Lincoln_?” Lexa asked, almost shouting out her brother’s name. “We’re here for _Lincoln_?”

“She’s a bit slow on the pickup sometimes, isn’t she?” Clarke asked Lincoln, as if they had been lifelong friends and were in on the same joke.

“Uh...” Lincoln said, looking between his fuming sister and the completely chipper Clarke, his hand still held firmly in Clarke’s.

“Anyway,” Clarke said, dropping Lincoln’s hand and spinning away from him, walking further into the house to enter the living room. “I just need a quick hand, if you please.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a glove, quickly pulling it onto her left hand. “I have... let’s call it a project, that I’ve been working on. And you, Lincoln, are exactly the guy that I need to help me finish it.”

“Uhm, sure,” Lincoln said, following Clarke though still clearly confused. “A friend of Lexa’s is a friend of mine.”

“We’re not friends,” Lexa said bitingly, following the other two with her arms crossed and a glare firmly pointed at Clarke.

Again, that little flicker of sadness before Clarke’s smile came beaming right back. “So she says. But she keeps me around, anyway.”

Lexa scoffed. “Like you give me any sort of choice.”

Clarke waved her off. “This may be a bit weird, but I need you to hold this for me.” She pulled out the box that Octavia had found from her bag and held it out to Lincoln.

“I just need to hold it?” Lincoln asked, reaching out hesitantly.

Clarke smiled encouragingly. “Not exactly. But the next part comes with you holding it.”

“Okay...” Lincoln said, hand almost on the box before Lexa’s hand shot out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Wait.” Lexa stared straight at Clarke, her eyes never wavering. “What. Is. The. Box?” she ground out for what felt like the hundredth time since Octavia had found it.

“You’ve seen one like it before, Lexa. I don’t understand why you’re asking so many questions. It won’t hurt him,” Clarke said, not taking her eyes off of Lincoln. Her smile was more tense, though. As if it was a challenge to keep it up.

“Would you just answer the damn question?” Lexa barked.

“No,” Clarke said firmly, her smile dropping completely as her eyes darted to land on Lexa. “I won’t. Not now.” She looked back to Lincoln, her smile coming back up almost mechanically. “Now, please. Take the box. I promise it won’t hurt you.”

Lincoln looked to Lexa, worried by what was going on, no doubt. And Lexa held his arm for only a moment longer before letting her hand fall away. “If anything happens to him, I swear...”

“Nothing will happen to Lincoln, Lexa. Please trust me,” Clarke said, almost begging.

And maybe it was the slight plea in her tone or the softness around her eyes as she looked again at Lexa, but Lexa did trust her. If only for the moment.

Lexa nodded to Lincoln, motioning toward the box.

With the reassurance from his little sister, Lincoln reach out and took the box from Clarke, holding it in his hand.

Clarke smiled encouragingly. “Excellent. Now, I’m going to direct you through what I need you to press, and then I need you to give the box back to me as quickly as you can, alright?”

Lincoln nodded, staring down at the box curiously. “What’s going to happen then?”

Clarke laughed lightly. “Asking questions must run in your family.”

Lincoln looked up and met Clarke’s eyes. “Maybe we just like to know what we’re getting ourselves into.”

Clarke just hummed inching forward so she could point out exactly the buttons that she needed Lincoln to press. And then she held out her gloved hand, letting him drop the box into her palm. “Thank you, Lincoln. You’ve been extremely helpful.”

“Uh, no problem. Is that all you needed?”

Clarke nodded, already moving toward the front door. “Yes. And if you’ll excuse me, I really need to leave. It’s getting dark, and there are a few more things I need to do tonight.”

Lincoln looked again between Lexa and Clarke. “Are you headed back to campus tonight?”

Lexa watched Clarke walk to and then out of the front door, brow still furrowed in frustration. She was tempted to stay at home for the night. Leave Clarke to whatever the hell she was up to, and be done with it.

But she wouldn’t be Lexa if she didn’t try to figure out what Clarke was doing. Because now whatever it was involved one of her best friends and her brother, and it was getting far more personal than she ever thought it would.

So Lexa nodded, turning quickly to give her big brother a hug, and then darted after Clarke who she found standing in the middle of their driveway, staring up at the sky.

Just like she always seemed to be doing.

Lexa ran down the front steps and then to Clarke, coming to a stop beside her. “Is it about to—“

“Yep. We made it.” She kept her eyes trained on some spot in the sky, never wavering, and then she started counting down. “In five... four... three... two...”

Before she could say one, the box in her hand was floating up into the sky, spinning and glowing just as the one before had done.

And, surprising even Lexa herself, Lexa stayed quiet, just watching as the box spun faster and faster until it finally fell again, landing in Clarke’s open hand.

Clarke looked back to the sky, smiling softly at whatever she saw. “There. That’s better.”

Lexa looked up, trying to see what Clarke was seeing. And she thought, if she squinted hard enough, she could see a star getting a little bit brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at all of those clues!! Y’all should really be getting closer to figuring it out by now. Maybe. But maybe not. Because there’s still so much left to read. 
> 
> Comments/questions/requests/Kudos are always welcomed and loved dearly. And you can find me on tumblr @musiclurv!


	9. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Early mornings, helpful(?) friends, and vegging.

Lexa fell heavily into her bed, not even bothering to change into her pajamas. She did, however, kick her shoes off of her feet.

She pressed her face into her pillow, arms coming up to shelter her head.

Because what _the fuck_ just happened?

Clarke was still a complete enigma to her, and now her friends and her brother were involved in whatever was happening. And she _still_ had no flipping idea what ‘whatever’ even was. Because Clarke wouldn’t _tell_ her anything. Everything was ‘spoilers’ this and ‘you’ll see’ that. And she was so, ridiculously tired of it.

She was tired of everything, to be quite honest. And she had to work at four in the morning.

She turned her head to look at her alarm clock, groaning when she saw that it was already past 1:30 in the morning. Just another night of little or no sleep for her.

Anya would be so proud. 

* * *

 

“Well, you look like shit,” Anya said, sitting down next to Lexa at the lunch table.

Lexa barely lifted her head from her palm to glare at her.

Anya rolled her eyes. “I’m just telling you the truth. Unlike blondie from yesterday.”

“She hasn’t lied to me,” Lexa argued. Though she didn’t know why she was defending Clarke. She didn’t even know if she _liked_ Clarke. (Which was a lie. She liked Clarke. As infuriating as that was to admit even in the darkest, most hidden parts of her mind, she liked Clarke.)

Anya just raised a brow challengingly before turning to her plate. “She hasn’t told you the whole truth, either.”

“Not yet,” Lexa said, finding the energy to stop leaning against her palm and sit up straight, staring her friend down. “But she will. When the time is right.”

“Are you sure about that? Because from what I saw yesterday, she seems to like playing the mystery card an awful lot.”

Lexa laughed mirthlessly. “Oh, she does. I think she finds all the happiness in me not knowing what the hell is going on.”

“And yet you’re defending her.”

“I’m not defending her.”

“Who are we defending?” Raven asked, plopping down in a chair next to Anya, her plate clacking on the table. “And why are we defending them?”

“Lexa’s defending Clarke,” Anya explained. “Lord knows why.”

“I liked her,” Raven said with a shrug, digging into her food. “She’s weird, and makes absolutely no sense. But where’s the fun in making sense all the time?”

“So you’re defending her to? You do remember that she just randomly burst into our locker room to ramble off absolute insanity, making zero sense _at all_ , and left without any sort of explanation. And what was that box? We have no idea what that thing did to you or to Octavia,” Anya argued, looking down pointedly at the red mark still visible on her girlfriend’s hand.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Octavia said, joining the conversation as she sat down on the other side of Raven. “No noticeable side effects of the _spooky box_ as of yet.”

“Yet,” Anya said, barely sparing a glance at Octavia before looking back to Raven.

“And I’m fine, Anya. We’ve been over this. I even played an entire game after the incident. It was barely a shock, babe,” Raven consoled, reaching over to place her hand on the back of Anya’s neck and pulling her closer. “Really, Anya,” she promised, eyes locked firmly on her girlfriend’s.

Anya stared back, looking for any sort of signal that Raven wasn’t completely okay. But then she sighed, her shoulders dropping and the tension leaving in one swoop. “If you say so.”

“I do,” Raven said, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to Anya’s lips. She let go of Anya and turned back to the table. “So, this Clarke person. What was that all about?”

The chair next to Lexa scraped as a newcomer pulled it out before plopping down in the seat. “I needed some help. I found that help. And the problem was solved. What’s so complicated about that?” Clarke asked, leaning back in the chair casually.

Lexa groaned, putting her head back in her hands. “Already?”

Clarke chuckled and patted Lexa’s back before rubbing it soothingly. “No. Nothing right now. I just wanted to check on you.”

Lexa peeked out of her hands, surprised at the genuine concern in Clarke’s voice. She met Clarke’s eyes, getting lost in the sea of blue she found there.

The other three watched on silently, but Lexa honestly couldn’t be bothered.

“I’m okay,” Lexa said quietly. She breathed deeply, the scent of what she had learned could only be described as _Clarke_ washing over her at the girl’s proximity.

Clarke reached forward as if she was going to touch Lexa’s face before thinking better of it and letting her hand fall into her lap. “You look like you got barely any sleep.”

“Well, someone kept me out past my curfew,” Lexa said teasingly.

Clarke’s frown deepened, her brow furrowing in concern. “I’m sorry. I actually did want to get you back sooner than that.”

Lexa shook her head, reaching a hand down to place on Clarke’s in her lap. “I’m alright. I’m used to getting very little sleep.”

“But this time it’s my fault.”

“No. It’s work’s fault. I had to be out of my dorm by 3:30 this morning.”

Clarke cringed back. “I am so sorry.”

Lexa smiled softly, actually wanting to reassure the girl. “It’s okay. I’ll get some sleep tonight.”

“Can I—“ Clarke started, but seemed to think better of it and stopped herself, licking her lips before pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “Uhm... let me know if I can do anything to help.”

Lexa patted Clarke’s hand. Sure, she wanted to know what Clarke was going to ask. But she also knew that Clarke wouldn’t tell her if she didn’t want to. And, knowing Clarke, she _would_ tell her if she wanted to. So she just smiled and pulled her hand back. “I will, Clarke. Thank you.” 

She turned to find all three of her friends staring at them, slack-jawed.

And then Lexa remembered where she was, and who she was with, and she felt her cheeks heat up because she was never, _never_ this soft with anyone. Especially not in public. Damn Clarke and her beautiful eyes and pretty smile and soft skin and lovely smell and...

_Not the time, Lexa. Get your gay ass together._

Lexa sat up abruptly, knocking Clarke’s hand from where it was still rubbing calming circles against her back. “What are you three staring at? Shouldn’t you be eating?”

They stayed frozen, staring between Lexa and Clarke.

That is, until Raven burst out laughing, patting Anya’s arm. “Looks like she’s going to be sticking around whether you like her or not, babe.”

Anya scowled, looking away from Lexa and Clarke to glare down at her plate.

Clarke started in her seat, startled by a finger tapping her shoulder. Lexa looked over at the motion, finding Octavia sitting next to Clarke, staring her down determinedly. “What was the box?”

Clarke smiled, leaning her elbow on the table to rest her head in her palm. “I can’t really tell you that, Octavia.”

Octavia sighed and looked down defeatedly, her confidence and determination dropping away quickly. “I was afraid you’d say that.” She looked back up, a small smile playing at her lips. “Did everything work out okay, at least?”

Clarke nodded, smile widening. “I _can_ tell you that it did. Perfectly, actually. So thank you for your help.”

Octavia laughed. “Any time you need me to hold a box, I’m at your service.”

Clarke chuckled herself, her smile turning just a little sad again, though Lexa was sure she was the only one that noticed. “Hopefully I won’t need you to that again for a very, very long time.”

“If you say so,” Octavia said, grabbing her plate and pulling it toward her. “So, who are you, Clarke? Where do you come from? What are you doing on our campus? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before whatever this is between you and Lexa. Are you a transfer?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Lexa said, leaning forward and cutting off Octavia’s rambling questions. “First of all, cool your roll. If she won’t tell _me_ anything, why would she tell you? Second, there is nothing going on between me and Clarke.”

And Lexa swore she heard an amused hum from Clarke, but when she looked at her, Clarke was just sitting there, watching her tell Octavia off.

“If there’s nothing going on between you two, which anyone with eyes can tell is a blatant lie, then why wouldn’t she tell me something that she hasn’t told you?” Octavia challenged, brow quirked. 

“That’s not— We’re not—“ Lexa fumbled before slamming her hand down on the table. “That’s not the point. I’ve been dealing with her for longer than you have, and I think she would answer those questions when I asked her before she’d answer _you_.”

“‘Dealing with?’” Clarke asked, pulling her hand to her heart. “You act as if I’m some sort of problem in your life.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “Says the girl that kept me out until 1:30 this morning.”

“That sounds promising,” Raven cut in, leaning forward excitedly. “I need all the details.”

“It wasn’t like _that_ , Raven,” Lexa growled out, shoving Raven away from her. Anya just leaned back in her chair, rolling her own eyes at her girlfriend’s excitement over all the new information.

“Sounds just like _that_ , Lexa,” Raven said mockingly.

“It’s not. Just ask Clarke. She dragged me along on one of her—“

“Clarke Griffin. I was born in Australia, but my family has moved around the world all my life. So I can’t really say I’m _from_ anywhere. I have business to attend to. And no, I’m not a transfer,” Clarke said, looking to Octavia. “I think that was everything, right?”

Lexa stared at her, completely shocked that she was actually _answering questions_ directly, without any run about that gave no answer at all. “Did you just...”

Clarke shrugged. “I figured it was time you knew. It just so happened that your friends were here, too.”

“So Octavia asks, and you start spilling your secrets?”

Clarke smirked, leaning just a little bit closer to Lexa. “Got a problem with that, Woods?”

Lexa glared at her, though she couldn’t really find it in herself to be _angry_ with Clarke. “I find it insulting that I’ve asked you all of that before, and all I got was ‘Clarke. Just Clarke.”

“That’s all you needed to know then,” Clarke said, leaning back again in her chair, sitting with all the confidence in the world. “It wasn’t time.”

“And now is the time?”

“Why not?”

“Then why not then?” Lexa asked exasperatedly. “You are an enigma wrapped in a mystery, Clarke Griffin. And I’m going to figure you out.”

Clarke’s smirk turned into a genuine smile. “You can try, at least.” A spark of challenge flashed in her eyes. “And google won’t help you.”

“You don’t know my research abilities,” Lexa challenged.

Anya scoffed, joining the conversation for the first time. “She’s a research junky. If anyone can find anything on the web, it’s Lexa.”

“There, see?” Lexa said, clapping Anya on the shoulder triumphantly. “And I have three people who are just as interested in finding out more about the mysterious Clarke Griffin.”

“Two,” Anya said, taking a bite of her food. “I don’t want to be any part of this.”

“She says that now. But as soon as Raven gets involved, Anya’ll be right there,” Octavia stage whispered conspiratorially.

Anya shot a glare at her before pushing her chair out and standing up. Her glare then fell on Clarke. “I don’t know who you are, and I frankly couldn’t give any less of a damn than I do now. But if you hurt any of them,” she pointed to Raven, Lexa and Octavia in turn, “I will hunt you down. And when I find you, and I _will_ find you, you’re going to wish you’d never been born.”

Clarke smiled up at Anya as if she wouldn’t expect anything less from her. “Loud and clear, General,” she said, saluting her.

Anya scoffed and then turned away, stomping off in a huff.

“Don’t mind her. She’s just over protective,” Raven assured, watching her girlfriend walk away lovingly. “It’s hot, right?”

Clarke laughed. “I’m well aware of how protective she can be.” She seemed to catch herself, and quickly added on, “I’ve heard stories.”

Lexa looked at Clarke suspiciously, having caught the slip. And she wanted to ask - oh did she want to ask - but she knew Clarke wouldn’t answer. Instead she asked, “What are you up to today?”

Clarke’s shoulders seemed to drop in relief. “I’m actually taking the day off. Sort of. Nothing to take care of today, anyway.”

“So you decided to hang out around a college campus?” Lexa asked. “Seems like you could have found better things to do on your day off.”

“Like basically anything else,” Octavia added.

Clarke looked at Lexa again before quickly looking away. “I’m a bit tired of always being on the go. Being surrounded by people that are settled in one place for a while is kind of nice. And, like I said before, I wanted to check up on this one,” she said, pointing to Lexa with her thumb.

“Because you kept her out until 1:30 this morning,” Raven said cheerily.

“Nothing. Happened,” Lexa ground out, glaring once again at her midfielder.

“Well, if you want to be sedentary, college students definitely know how to live that life. You should go veg,” Octavia said, ignoring the glaring match going on across from her. Well, Lexa glaring at Raven, and Raven happily going about eating her lunch.

“Veg?” Clarke asked, interest piqued. “What’s that?”

“Even I know how to veg, Clarke,” Lexa said, surprised enough by Clarke’s not understanding that she stopped glaring at Raven and looked instead at the blonde.

Clarke shrugged. “I don’t usually have free time.”

“What, with all that running around you do, you don’t have any free time?” Lexa asked teasingly. “Color me surprised.”

Clarke stuck her tongue out at her. “Well, if you’re such a big proponent of vegging, why don’t you show me how?”

“That’s a great idea!” Octavia chirped, picking up her plate and gesturing for Raven to do the same. “You should bring her back to your dorm, Lex. Show her how a true veg session is done.”

“I’m not finished,” Raven said around a mouthful of food. Octavia shot her a threatening glare, and Raven quickly picked up her plate. “I’ll finish on the way,” she agreed, turning away from the table. “Oh, and Lex?” she called, looking over her shoulder. “You’re not helping your case.” She looked between Clarke and Lexa again pointedly.

Lexa watched them leave, jaw dropped. “What just happened?”

“I think you were just volunteered to show me how to veg,” Clarke said, not really helping at all. She looked away from the retreating figures of Lexa’s friends and to Lexa. “So, back to your dorm?”

* * *

 

Lexa had no idea how she had ended up in this situation. And yet, there she was, leading Clarke back to her dorm to teach her how to veg. Because Lexa had so much time to do just that.

Between schoolwork and classes and work and soccer practice and games and strategy meetings and...

But sure. She had time today to just lay around her dorm room with the strangest girl she had ever met.

This was a stupid idea, and she was going to kill Octavia the next time she saw her.

“Uhm, here we are,” Lexa said, stopping in front of her door to unlock it and push it open for Clarke to walk through before her. “I’m sorry about the mess. I haven’t really had time to clean up at all.”

And it wasn’t really messy at all - there was a jacket thrown over her desk chair, but other than that, everything was in its place. But Lexa needed something to say, and that sounded appropriate.

Clarke stopped in the middle of the room, looking back at Lexa with a quirked brow as if to ask ‘ _Really?_ ’

Lexa just rolled her eyes and moved toward her bed. “Well, this is where the magic happens.” She choked on her own words, a blush quickly rushing up her neck and into her cheeks. “The vegging. The veg magic. This is where we are lazy and do nothing.”

Clarke watched her with an amused grin. “Uh-huh.”

“Yes. Exactly. Now. Uhm. Take your jacket and shoes off. I’ll get my computer,” Lexa said, scrambling for anything to do so that she didn’t have to look at Clarke and her annoyingly attractive smirk.

When she turned back to her bed, Clarke was sitting on it, her back against the wall next to her pillow, and her legs stretched out over the length of it. 

Lexa gulped.

“Are you going to join me?” Clarke asked, that teasing grin still on her lips.

“Uh. Yes. Just... hang on,” Lexa mumbled, kicking off her own shoes and shucking her jacket before she climbed in next to Clarke, leaving a more than respectable distance between them. she placed her laptop between them on the bed (not as an extra barrier at all), and started it up. “Well, this is vegging. We can watch some movies or shows and just... be.”

“Just be?” Clarke asked, watching Lexa.

Lexa kept her eyes on her screen. “Yes. Just be. Is there anything you’d like to watch?” Lexa opened up Netflix and waited for it to boot up.

“Whatever you want to watch.”

“Uhm, okay.” Lexa clicked on the first movie in her queue without paying it much mind and then sat back with her back against the wall next to Clarke. “This will work.”

“Alright then. Now we just... be,” Clarke said, settling and getting comfortable on the bed.

“Right. Just be.”

* * *

 

Lexa woke up with her head resting on something soft.

Something very soft, and very comfortable.

She nuzzled closer to whatever it was, humming in content.

And then she noticed the fingers carding through her hair and she froze, her entire body tensing up abruptly.

Because if there were fingers in her hair and something soft under her cheek when she was _sure_ she had just been sitting up against the wall, then something very not good was happening.

_Or something very good because... wow._

Lexa shook her head and sat up, turning to find Clarke looking at her with a soft smile. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

“Good morn— What time is it?” Lexa asked, jerking around to look at her alarm clock, calming slightly when she saw it was only just past five in the afternoon.

Clarke chuckled. “Relax, Lex. It’s only been a few hours. You really were tired, weren’t you?” she asked, reaching out a hand to rest gently on Lexa’s back.

Lexa looked over her shoulder at her, melting at the gentleness she saw there. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you. Literally.”

Clarke stretched, having sunk down further into the bed herself so that she was resting on Lexa’s pillow. “It wasn’t a problem. I’m glad you got some rest.”

Lexa blushed. “I, uhm... I’m sorry for...” She motioned to Clarke’s body, hoping that her intention would come across clearly.

Clarke just laughed again. “You can use me as a pillow any time you want, Lex. Especially if it means you’ll get some much needed rest.”

“I’ll, uh, keep that in mind,” Lexa said, a smile pulling at her lips despite her embarrassment.

Clarke hummed happily, staring right back at Lexa.

Finally, Lexa shook her head, breaking her gaze away from Clarke’s beautifully entrancing eyes and back into reality. She pushed off of the bed and stretched her arms above her head. “So, now you’ve been introduced to vegging. Hopefully you’ll find use of it in the future.”

“If I have you as company, I just might,” Clarke said, swinging her legs off of the bed to stand as well.

And Lexa seemed to be making a habit of blushing around Clarke. _Great_.

“Right. Uhm, I have to...” Lexa started, fumbling for some sort of excuse to get out of this situation. Because she _should_ want to get out of this situation, _right_?

“Soccer practice,” Clarke supplied, motioning toward Lexa’s duffle that was ready for the day’s practice.

“Yes. Practice. I should get to that.”

Clarke nodded. “Probably. Unless you wanted to...” Clarke trailed off, motioning back toward the bed.

And Lexa felt her cheeks flare up again. Because _damn it_ , the thought of climbing back into that bed and cuddling up to Clarke was _tempting_.

But Lexa shook her head. “I can’t skip practice. Indra would skin me alive.”

“Ah. And we wouldn’t want that,” Clarke said, stepping closer to Lexa. She reached up, cupping Lexa’s cheek gently. “ _Definitely_ wouldn’t want that,” she repeated, leaning in slowly.

Lexa closed her eyes, both longing for and dreading what she thought was coming.

But soft, cushiony lips pressed to her cheek, lingering longer than a friendly kiss would, before dragging slowly away. “I’ll see you later, Lex. Try not to work yourself too hard?”

Lexa’s eyes drifted back open only to see Clarke backing away from her. “No promises.”

Clarke smiled with a little huffed laugh. “I’d expect nothing less.” She lingered with her hand on the doorknob, biting her lip (temptingly, Lexa would say) and watching Lexa.

And then her hand twisted, the door was open, and Clarke slipped out, pulling the door closed behind her.

Raven wasn’t going to shut up when she heard about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! It’s a longer one!!
> 
> There’s a treat for all y’all that wanted some clexa fluff. Just to wet your appetite some. 
> 
> So many hints to be found. Good luck with your guesses!!
> 
> Questions/comments/requests/Kudos are always welcome. And you can find me on tumblr @musiclurv


	10. IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nosy friends, frustrations, and a goodbye.

And, Raven’s inability to keep quiet about anything remotely personal in Lexa’s life was exactly why Lexa didn’t tell her about falling asleep on Clarke. In fact, she told her as little as possible.

“Lex, you have to tell me. I know something else happened,” Raven badgered, following Lexa out onto the soccer pitch for their practice.

Lexa finished tying up her hair and tried to look as nonchalant as possible. “Nothing happen, Raven. She came over, we watched a movie, she left, and I came to practice. End of story.”

Raven eyed her suspiciously, pointing at her accusingly. “You’re lying. Something happened, and you’re just not telling me.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “ _Nothing_ happened.”

“And I’m the queen of England.”

“All hail her majesty,” Lexa said mockingly, turning and jogging away from Raven to where the rest of the girls were gathered. They had more important things to focus on than Lexa’s personal life. Like the upcoming game against Arkadia that they had to win to even think about playing in the championships this year. “Alright, ladies! Let’s get started.”

* * *

 

“I wouldn’t necessarily call you falling asleep on me ‘nothing,’ you know? You actually got rather cozy, if I remember correctly.” Clarke smirked, leaning against the wall outside of the locker room after Lexa finished with her shower.

Lexa sighed. Of course Clarke knew about that. “Did you bug me or something? How do you always know—“

“Ah, ah,” Clarke said, cutting her off. “I can’t tell you all of my secrets, now can I?” She pushed off the wall, walking over to Lexa and taking her duffle for her. And she immediately balked at the weight. “Jeez. What do you keep in here?”

“My gear,” Lexa said flatly. “And you tell me literally none of your secrets.”

“I’ve told you some.”

“Name one.”

“My name,” Clarke said, turning and placing her hand on Lexa’s back, directing her out of the soccerplex.

Lexa scoffed. “That’s hardly a secret. You’ve told Anya, Raven, and Octavia that much.”

“I’ve showed you my office,” Clarke offered. “No one else has seen that, other than my family.”

“I’m honored,” Lexa deadpanned, grabbing for her duffle. Clarke moved it out of her reach quickly. “I can carry that myself.”

“I know. But I thought I would this time,” Clarke said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Lexa eyed her suspiciously. “What do you want?”

“Why do I need to want something?” Clarke asked distractedly, looking for Lexa’s car as they entered the parking lot.

“You never come around unless you want something. And you’re sucking up. So spill.” Lexa pulled to a stop, crossing her arms over her chest as Clarke walked the last few feet alone to Lexa’s car.

She put Lexa’s duffle on the trunk and leaned her hip against Lexa’s car. “I may have run into Raven while waiting for you.”

“Oh god. What did you tell her?”

Clarke’s face scrunched adorably in confusion. “Not much, actually. Was I not supposed to tell her anything?”

“ _Nothing happened_ ,” Lexa groaned in frustration, dragging her hands down her face.

Clarke rolled her eyes and pushed off of Lexa’s car, reaching out to touch Lexa’s arm consolingly. “Alright, Lex. Nothing happened. Whatever. I didn’t say otherwise.”

Lexa looked up at Clarke, feeling almost bad for getting frustrated with her. And the confused and slightly frustrated (and maybe hurt?) furrow in Clarke’s brow didn’t make her feel any better. So, she decided to change the subject. “What did Raven want?”

Clarke met her eyes, and Lexa knew for certain that all was not forgotten. “Just to make sure you got some rest tonight. She asked me to get you home and make you get some sleep.”

“Because now you’re my keeper,” Lexa said, getting a little annoyed herself. Raven had no right to butt into her life. And she could damn well take care of herself.

Another eye roll, and Clarke turned away from her. “She cares. Don’t be angry with her for that. Now, pop your trunk so I can throw this in there, and then we’re going back to your dorm.”

“We?” Lexa asked, popping the trunk for Clarke with her fob before unlocking her car.

“Yes, we.” Clarke dropped Lexa’s duffle in the trunk and closed it. “How else am I to make sure you get some sleep?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Trust me to be an adult.” Lexa pulled the driver’s side door open, leaning on her arms on the top of the car as Clarke walked over to the passenger’s side. 

“I trust you to work too hard,” Clarke challenged, opening the passenger’s door and leaning similarly against the car. She stared Lexa down, and her expression softened minutely. “Your friends are worried about you, Lexa. I told Raven I’d try to get you to get some rest. If you don’t want me to, I’ll leave now. Just say the words.”

“I don’t want you to act like my mother,” Lexa said, pushing off the car and halfway climbing in. “But you can come along if you want.”

“If I want. Right,” Clarke said, climbing into the car.

Lexa started up the car, pulling out of her spot, and headed to her dorm. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because Raven asked me to,” Clarke said simply, staring out the window at nothing.

“Really.”

Clarke turned to look at Lexa, her head rolling lazily against the headrest of her seat. “Because, believe it or not, I do actually care about your wellbeing.”

“Why? Why me?” Lexa asked, staring straight ahead at the road, her knuckles turning white on the steering wheel. “At the very start of this... You were standing in the tunnel waiting for me, weren’t you? That wasn’t an accident.”

“You think very highly of yourself, don’t you?” Clarke asked, and Lexa could hear the teasing smirk in her voice. She chanced a glance at her and saw that smirk drop into a soft smile. “Nothing is an accident, Lexa. Haven’t you learned that by now?”

“I’ve learned that shit happens in life, and sometimes you can’t explain why.”

“Costia,” Clarke offered quietly.

And Lexa jerked the wheel in surprise, quickly correcting before they could drive off the road. “How the hell do you know that name?” she asked angrily, pulling over onto the shoulder and throwing the car into park. She turned in her seat to glare at Clarke. When Clarke just stared back at her, she ground out, “Answer me, Clarke. This isn’t another one of your games.”

“I—“ Clarke started but cut herself off, looking out the front windshield in thought. “That is a very long story. But let’s just say I know how to research, too.”

“So you have been stalking me.”

Clarke shook her head, still not meeting Lexa’s eyes. “Not like that. Never like that. It’s just— It’s not time, yet.”

“Get out.”

Clarke looked at her then, eyes wide and pleading. “Lexa, don’t.”

“Get out of my car,” Lexa growled, reaching across Clarke and opening the door for her.

“Please, let me—“

“Explain?” Lexa yelled and then barked out a humorless laugh. “That’s all I’ve been asking you to do since the day we met. And you still won’t. So get out of my car.” She turned stubbornly away from Clarke, her hands back on the wheel of her car. “Get out of my car, and leave me the hell alone. I’m done with whatever this is.”

“Whatever this... Lexa, please. I just need more—“ Clarke reached toward Lexa, almost touching her arm before Lexa jerked out of her reach.

“Get. Out.”

Clarke sighed sadly, shoulders drooping in defeat. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”

Lexa ground her teeth to keep from saying anything, refusing to look at Clarke as she unbuckled and climbed out of the car.

She leant down to look back into the car. “I’m sorry, Lexa. I never meant to hurt you.”

And, damn it all, Lexa did feel a tear trailing its way down her cheek.

But Lexa just kept staring ahead, waiting to hear the door close before she put the car back into drive and drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... don’t hate me too much. Please? 
> 
> Not too many clues here, but there are some. Just a couple. If you squint and look really hard. 
> 
> Sorry this chapter was so short, but I wanted to get it up for y’all as a thank you for all of your dedication to this crazy ride. I love you all and all of your comments. Next chapter will be a bit longer and we’ll see some progress. And a lot of interaction between Lexa and her friends. Gotta build up those relationships too, right? 
> 
> Comments/questions/requests/kudos are my favorite things in the world. And you can find me on tumblr @musiclurv if you’d like.


	11. X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confusion, annoyed neighbors, and advice.

Lexa was in a pissy mood.

She was in a pissy mood, and she didn’t want to talk to anyone about it because she didn’t want to admit that she was _wrong_. She was so wrong about everything, and she should have just left well enough alone and actually listened to her sensible side a long time ago.

But here she was, hurt and angry and confused and... curled up in her bed pathetically. Because she had tried to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw the glimpse of Clarke she had seen in her rearview mirror as she drove away from her.

And she really, _really_ didn’t want to see Clarke right then.

If she told Anya, her best friend would hunt Clarke down. She’d get answers out of her. And then finally, maybe Lexa could get some peace of mind about everything.

_Clarke shouldn’t have known._

Very few people knew about Costia. Just Anya, Raven, and Octavia. She had left that part of her life behind, and she wanted it to stay that way.

But Clarke knew. And she shouldn’t have. And Lexa just wanted to know why and how.

Was that so much to ask?

And so, Lexa was in a pissy mood.

* * *

 

“Clarke obviously didn’t do her job,” Raven said, barging into Lexa dorm room unannounced.

Lexa just grunted, not sparing a glance at Raven. She continued typing away at her paper, dressed in baggy sweatpants and an old t-shirt, her hair pulled up in a messy bun.

“How long have you been going at that?”

Lexa glanced at her clock. Six hours. She had given up on trying to sleep after three o’clock rolled around, and had decided to start working on her term paper. And now, six hours later... “A while.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Well get up. Get a shower and get dressed. I’m taking you out to breakfast to celebrate.”

“What is there to celebrate?” Lexa asked, pulling her pen out of her hair to let it fall around her shoulders instead.

Raven gestured to Lexa and the unkept bed. “You finally working on your personal life, obviously!”

Lexa looked at her friend flatly. “What don’t you understand about personal?”

Raven waved her off, moving over to pull Lexa out of her chair. “Personal is still personal when you tell your friends. Now, get ready so you can spill all the juicy details over breakfast.”

“No,” Lexa said, jerking her arm out of Raven’s grip. “There are no juicy details to be told. Clarke’s gone.”

Raven’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean?”

Lexa rolled her eyes, falling back into her seat. “Exactly what I said. Clarke’s gone.” She turned back to her laptop, pretending to read over the last paragraph she had written. She couldn’t focus on the screen in front of her, though, the image of Clarke standing alone on the side of the road popping up behind her eyelids every time she blinked.

“What happened?” Raven asked, her tone softer than Lexa could ever remember hearing it before. She looked over to find Raven kneeling down beside her, looking up at her worriedly.

Lexa sighed. “Nothing. I ended it. I got tired of never knowing what’s going to happen.”

“You can never know what’s going to happen, Lex.”

“Not like this,” Lexa said with a sharp shake of her head. “She knew... She knew things she shouldn’t have known. She never explained herself. And she always dragged me along on impossibly confusing trips to do things that made absolutely no sense. And I—“ Lexa sighed, rubbing at her tired eyes. “I just got tired of it. So it’s over.”

Raven sat silently for a moment, looking Lexa over thoughtfully. “What was the last straw?” she finally asked quietly.

Lexa’s jaw tightened, her teeth clenching together. Because even the thought of someone who she barely knew knowing something so personal was just... infuriating.

And terrifying.

And, _god_ , she still had so many questions she wanted answered.

Raven finally stood, brushing off imaginary dust from her pants. “Fine. Don’t talk to me. But I’m sending Anya over, and you know you damn well better talk to her or she’s going to beat your ass into the next century.”

Lexa grunted, again refusing to look away from her computer, and waited for her door to shut behind her friend. And when she heard the click, she quickly jumped from her chair, moving to lock the door so no one else could barge in.

It would only keep them out for a while, but at least she’d have some time to herself.

* * *

 

Locking the door was a mistake.

A big mistake, Lexa soon learned.

The banging hadn’t stopped for half an hour, and she was sure that the students next door to her were about to come over to help break down her door just to make it stop.

“I can keep this up all day, Woods!” Anya yelled angrily through the door. “Open the damn door!”

“Open the door!” someone yelled from next door, their voice carrying through the wall by her desk.

Lexa groaned in frustration, finally giving up the good fight. She pushed herself out of her chair and walked over to her door, unlatching the lock and pulling it open, only to be almost met with Anya’s fist to her face.

“It’s about damn time,” Anya glowered, scowling at Lexa as she pushed her way past her and into the dorm room. “What the fuck is the matter with you?”

“I don’t want you here, Anya,” Lexa said calmly, still holding her door open expectantly. Because maybe Anya would just leave her alone when she noticed that she really didn’t want the company.

And maybe they’d launch an elephant to the moon.

_Right_.

Anya crossed her arms, standing firmly in the middle of Lexa’s room. “Spill.”

Lexa sighed in defeat, closing her door and walking over to her bed to sit down. “I kicked Clarke out of my car last night. Told her I didn’t want to see her again.”

Anya just stared at her expectantly, brow quirked.

“She knew things, Anya. Things she never should have known. Things only a few people know about here. She knew about...” she stumbled for just a second before getting the name out, “Costia. She knew about Costia.”

The only hint that Anya was surprised was a slight uptick in her brows. “So you kicked her out of your car.”

“She wouldn’t tell me how she knew.”

“What would she tell you?” Anya asked, ever the calm protector that waited to hear all the details before reacting.

“Nothing. She wouldn’t tell me anything. Just that ‘it wasn’t time’ or some bullshit answer like that,” Lexa said with an annoyed huff. She fell back on her bed and covered her face with her hands. “And when she wouldn’t explain, I kicked her out and told her I didn’t want to see her again. Because I’m tired of not getting answers.”

She felt the bed sink down next to her, Anya scooting back to sit against the wall beside her bed. “I think that was a fair request. Maybe a harsh reaction, but a fair request.”

Lexa peeked out between her fingers at her best friend. “You think I shouldn’t have kicked her out?”

Anya looked down at Lexa from the corner of her eye. “I think that kicking a girl out of a car to walk home alone in the middle of the evening is almost always a bad choice.”

Lexa groaned and covered her eyes again. “Should I try to find her?”

“No. I think Clarke is fine. Actually, I know Clarke is fine.”

Lexa let her hands fall from her face. “How do you know?”

Anya shrugged. “I ran into her on the way here. Not your _ran into_ , but I saw her.”

“You saw her?” Lexa asked, leaning up on her elbows. “Was she—“

Anya held up a hand. “She was fine. But she won’t be soon, if you’d like.”

Lexa shook her head. “No. Don’t do anything to her. I don’t want to waste any more time on her.”

“And yet you’re bottled up in your room, hiding away from the world because of her.”

“I have a paper to finish,” Lexa tried meekly.

Anya just quirked a brow at her.

“Fine,” Lexa said with a defeated sigh. “I’m confused. And angry. No, pissed off. She shouldn’t have known anything about Costia, and to bring her up if she did know anything about her was not her right. And thinking about all of the time I’ve wasted on helping her just—“

“You’re hurt,” Anya surmised. “You got too close, and wound up hurt.” Anya climbed off the bed and turned back to look at Lexa. “I’m not saying you were right or wrong, and I’m not saying Clarke was right or wrong. But that girl looked like shit today when I saw her. And you look like shit right now.”

“What are you getting at?” Lexa asked, glaring slightly. She didn’t like where this was going. She trusted Anya more than anyone else outside of her family, and she respected her opinion most. But if Anya was about to suggest what Lexa thought she was...

Anya stuffed her hands in her pockets with a sigh. “Maybe you do just need to be patient. Not every detail about someone is revealed at the start of a relationship - romantic or otherwise. I’m still finding out things about Raven that I never knew, and I’ve known her for years. And I hope that I never stop learning new things about her.” She looked out the window, thinking for a moment. “You don’t have to talk to her again. I’m not telling you that you should. Just cool off, and be willing to see what happens.”

“So you think I should give her a second chance,” Lexa said, frustrated with the advice.

“I think that she had enough courage and courtesy to ask me how you were while still respecting your wishes not to see her. I think she cares about you. And I think she does just need a little more time.”

“How do you know?”

Anya rolled her eyes and turned toward the door. “Because she told me, dumbass. And I don’t think she is dumb enough to lie to me.” She walked to the door, placing her hand on the knob and pulling it open. “Don’t stay cooped up in here. Get some fresh air. It might do you some good.”

Lexa just hummed her agreement, watching Anya slip out the door and close it behind her.

And even with her thoughts running a hundred miles an hour, Lexa knew exactly where she wanted to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anya: forever the voice of reason. 
> 
> Sorry there was no Clarke in this one. But she’ll be making a re-appearance soon. And then even more clues will be revealed and the fun will really start. It’ll be great. 
> 
> Question for you all: if I made a tumblr dedicated to this fic, including the clues revealed in each chapter as we progress, would anyone follow it? I don’t want to make it if no one would be interested. Let me know in the comments! (Just a simple “yes” or “nah” would be enough)
> 
> Your comments/theories bring me all the happiness, honestly. And every kudo is loved. You can find me on tumblr @musiclurv
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	12. XI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A run, a chat, and an arrival.

One lap.

Then two.

Then three.

Lap after lap, Lexa ran, trying to sort out her thoughts on the pitch she considered her second home.

She didn’t want to admit that Anya might have been right. Because then she was a complete bitch for leaving Clarke out on the side of the road. But she also didn’t think it was totally unreasonable to call a stop to whatever was happening when Clarke didn’t want to answer any questions that she asked.

So she was conflicted.

Lap six.

From the first day she ran into Clarke, she couldn’t get an answer out of the girl. And _if_ , by some miracle, Clarke actually deigned to answer something, it was always elusive and incomplete, bringing up even more questions that _wouldn’t_ get answered.

The Costia thing was just the last straw.

Seven.

She had been putting up with having no answers for long enough. _Right?_

She’d been more than patient, allowing Clarke to drag her along on adventures that she had no idea the outcome of. She still wasn’t sure what all of that was about, even after the fact. Boxes and buttons and towers and lights. None of it made sense.

None of it ever would without Clarke, though.

Eight.

And really, she never could _really_ know what was going to happen on any given day, right? She could trip on this lap, or the next, or the next, and break something and end her career as a soccer player for all she knew.

She started paying more attention to the turf below her as she ran.

Nine.

But Lexa _did_ know what her future held. She was going to play hard, get her degree in physical therapy, get on an NWSL team, and then hopefully the national team and...

Well, she knew far enough, anyway.

Ten.

Lexa pulled to a stop at the end of her lap, hands on her knees as she caught her breath. 

Maybe Clarke did just need more time. Maybe she had a plan for how things were working, too. Just like Lexa.

Even if Clarke seemed like the least likely person to plan out more than a few hours ahead of where she was, if that.

Lexa fell to the ground, grabbing her water bottle to get a drink. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the hem of her shirt.

She could give her another chance. Or she could continue to ignore her and stick to her original plan to cut Clarke out of her life.

(She ignored the sharp pain in her chest at the thought.)

But, of course, even if she did want to give Clarke another chance, Clarke had always found Lexa, not the other way around. She could check her office, but Clarke had to have somewhere else that she stayed. There wasn’t a bed or anything there that Lexa had noticed. Not even a couch.

So she probably wasn’t there at any given time during the day. So going by the tower would be a waste of time, and Lexa really didn’t have time to waste.

Knowing Clarke, she probably already knew that Lexa was going to give her another chance and would appear on the field in five... four... three... two...

Lexa looked around, only half expecting to see the blonde walking out onto the pitch.

(She’d deny to anyone the actual disappointment she felt when Clarke didn’t show up.)

Oh well. Maybe later.

Lexa fell back onto the turf, staring up at the night sky above her. The same sky that Clarke seemed absolutely obsessed with.

Clarke and her damn boxes and mysterious answers and whatever the hell else she got up to.

She heard footsteps walking toward her, but didn’t look away from the sky.

“I’m surprised you waited this long,” Lexa said, still staring up at the sky, finding the first star that Clarke had pointed out to her all those nights ago.

Had it really been over two months already?

“I figured after having Anya and Raven getting on your case, you could have used a bit of space.” Octavia sat down next to her facing the opposite direction and leaned back on her hands to look up at the sky as well. “Crazy how little light pollution there is here, huh?” she asked, a tone of awe in her voice.

Lexa hummed her agreement. She wouldn’t admit to her friend that she was genuinely disappointed it was her that arrived on the pitch.

“I heard what happened,” Octavia said after a few moments of silence.

Lexa remained quiet. She didn’t want to get more advice, no matter how well meaning.

“You’re going to find her again, aren’t you?” 

Lexa looked over at Octavia in surprise, finding her already looking down at her. “How...?”

Octavia laughed. “You’re pretty easy to read, believe it or not. Clarke changed you. She made you softer.” At Lexa’s clenched jaw, Octavia quickly corrected, “In a good way. She made you happy, no matter how much you griped about her.”

Lexa rolled her eyes and looked back up at the sky. “She’s a pain in the ass.”

“And yet you’re going to give her another chance.”

“You don’t know what I’m going to do,” Lexa challenged.

Octavia sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees and looking down at Lexa. “Of course I do. You’re going to go find Clarke, and you’re going to get some answers because you’re too damn stubborn to give up that easily.”

Lexa glared at her.

“Exactly,” Octavia said with a laugh. “Though, if all your stories are true, she may find you first.”

“I think I scared her away. If she was going to come to me, I think she already would have,” Lexa admitted with an only slightly sad sigh. (It was sad. _Lexa_ was sad. Because no matter how much she didn’t want to admit it, Clarke _did_ make her happier. Even if she was a pain in her ass.)

Octavia shifted next to her, pushing to her feet shortly after. “I think you’d be surprised. Only someone just as stubborn as you are would be a match for you.”

Lexa scoffed exaggeratedly. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

Octavia shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Of course not.” She smiled slightly down at Lexa. “But I think she does.” She looked pointedly behind Lexa toward the entrance to the pitch.

Craning her neck back (awkwardly, but Lexa didn’t really care about awkward right now if the person that Octavia was insinuating was walking onto the pitch actually _was_ walking onto the pitch), Lexa scanned what she could see of the field.

And, lo and behold, the soft light from the tunnel reflected off of a head of blonde hair.

Lexa fell flat onto her back again, looking up at Octavia to find her smiling still. “Good luck, Cap.”

“Thanks, O.” She grabbed Octavia’s ankle as she began to walk away. “Seriously. You were probably the least annoying person that I’ve talked to today.”

“And that’s surprising because...” Octavia said cockily. She walked away without another word once Lexa let her go.

Lexa listened out for a familiar step once Octavia left. And, finally, she heard her walking closer.

Until Clarke stopped, still a few yards away.

And Lexa held her breath in the silence that followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, folks! The moment we’ve been waiting for has arrived! Sort of. Maybe. We’ll see in the next chapter, anyway. Will Lexa get answers? Will we finally know what the heck is going on?? Probably not. But here’s hoping. 
> 
> Thank you all for your input on the Tumblr for this crazy fic! I’ve put it up, and you can find it on tumblr @starkeepersguide
> 
> Right now, I’m posting chapter pics, some hints/clues from each chapter, and my favorite comments/theories. I’m also throwing in a few posts that I’ve found on tumblr (more will be added as I stumble across them) that I find relate to the fic. If you want to see more/something else on there, just let me know! I’d also love to start a dialogue on there, so send in your questions/comments/post recs/etc to that tumblr, and I’ll be sure to check them all out. And, if you do follow it, I’ll probably follow you back on my main account, so if you see @musiclurv following you, it’s not just some random person. 
> 
> Also, if you see your comment posted on the blog and would like it removed, just let me know. No questions asked, I’ll remove it. 
> 
> As always, your comments/theories/Kudos are always loved.


	13. XII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions, answers, and hope.

The silence was deafening.

And yet, Clarke continued to stand yards away from Lexa, out of sight, never advancing an inch toward her.

And Lexa didn’t ask her to. Not yet.

But she was only so patient.

“Are you ready to give me some answers?”

A heavy sigh was her only response for a moment. And then the sound of clothes rustling as if Clarke almost stepped forward, but thought better of it.

“I can only tell you so much right now.”

Lexa shook her head. “That’s not good enough.”

“Lex, please. I can’t—“

“You can’t do what you do and expect me to just accept it without question,” Lexa said, cutting Clarke off before she could give more half-assed excuses.

Another sigh. “What do you want to know?”

Lexa thought about it for a moment. What _did_ she want to know?

Everything.

“Let’s start with what exactly you are.”

“I can’t—“

“We’re done here,” Lexa said, cutting her off again.

Clarke took a step closer, almost stomping her foot in frustration. “Would you just let me finish a sentence?”

“You were going to say you can’t tell me,” Lexa said, waving Clarke off as nonchalantly as she could pull off given how tense she was actually feeling. Because if Clarke still wasn’t willing to just _talk_ and tell her what was going on, then she didn’t want to talk to her. She didn’t want to start the whole process again.

She heard Clarke sit down heavily, still a few yards behind her. “I was going to say that I can’t explain it all in one night. It’s not a simple story to tell.”

Lexa twisted over in surprise, laying on her stomach and holding herself up on her elbows so she could see Clarke. Her jaw fell as she tried to grasp what Clarke just said. Finally, she settled on, “I have time.”

Clarke smiled that charming little smile at her, legs crossed and fingers picking at the turf nervously. “Says the girl who doesn’t have time to sleep.”

Lexa motioned to the field around them. “I found time to come out here to run. I can find time to listen to a story.”

Clarke’s lips twisted in thought as she stared Lexa down. Finally, she nodded to herself. “Okay. But you have to understand that some things, I really can’t tell you yet.” Lexa opened her mouth to cut Clarke off again, but Clarke spoke again quickly. “Not yet. But I will tell you. Hopefully soon.”

Lexa debated accepting the compromise. She was still going to have questions. She may always have questions when it came to Clarke. But at least she was getting _some_ answers. And, like Anya said, you can’t learn everything about someone in a single day.

“Okay.”

Clarke nodded again. “Okay.” She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts, and then looked back up at the sky. “My family isn’t exactly... normal. My dad traveled all his life, as his mother did before him, and her father did before her, and on and on. When my dad met my mom, she was... less than enthused. Like someone else I know,” Clarke said, glancing down at Lexa with a wry little smirk before looking back up at the stars. “But she started tagging along with him. They finally settled down for a little while in Australia, where I was born. We weren’t there for long after that. I started traveling with them, learning from my first day.”

“What were you learning?” Lexa asked.

Clarke quirked her brow at her, and Lexa shrugged. She could only be so patient.

“The family craft,” Clarke answered, ever evasive. “It’s... complicated to explain. But you’ve seen some of it.”

“The boxes.”

Clarke nodded. “They’re incredibly complicated pieces of technology that my family has been passing down generation to generation. They keep things... aligned, for lack of a better word.”

“Aligned?”

“Are you going to let me explain, or would you like to just keep asking questions?” Clarke asked with a light laugh.

Lexa scoffed, pushing off the ground to sit instead. She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked expectantly at Clarke.

Clarke rolled her eyes, smiling and shaking her head. “Anyway, we have to travel to find things. Pieces to puzzles. And the puzzles make things right again.” Clarke’s brow scrunched in frustration. “I’m sorry. This isn’t coming out right.” Lexa continued to watch Clarke raptly, waiting for her to continue. “I can’t...” Clarke sighed, her head drooping between her shoulders. “I can’t really tell you too much more. I’m sorry.”

“Not right now,” Lexa offered.

Clarke looked up, meeting Lexa’s eyes, and smiled sadly. “Not yet.”

Lexa nodded. “Can I ask some questions?”

Clarke chuckled. “Can you do anything but?”

Lexa quirked a brown, only slightly amused with the teasing. (It was endearing.) “How do you know where I am all the time?”

“You’re pretty predictable, Lex,” Clarke said with a laugh. “Either in your dorm, at the dining hall, in the library, or on the field. If you’re not in one, I just go to the next.”

“Huh,” Lexa said, actually surprised by that answer. “So you knew to come here tonight...”

“Because, if I were you, I would want to get some of my frustration out. And while I would paint or ride my bike, you’d come here.”

“And knowing things about what’s going to happen?” Lexa asked hopefully.

Clarke smiled, a little sadly and a little teasingly at the same time. “Spoilers.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “Of course.” She thought for a moment, taking Clarke in. “How did you know about Costia?”

Clarke’s smile fell, her eyes dimming with sadness. “It happens.”

“What?” Lexa asked, already feeling frustration boiling up at the evasive answer. This was the one thing she _needed_ to know. She couldn’t let this one go.

“I can’t really...” Another sigh. “I can’t explain how, exactly. But...” her brow scrunched as she thought over her words. “Some things have to happen. No matter what.”

Lexa abruptly stood, her anger flaring up. “You’re saying that she _had_ to die?”

Clarke flinched, shrinking into herself and refusing to look at Lexa. “There are certain points in time—“

“No!” Lexa shouted, throwing her hand up to stop Clarke from continuing. “She didn’t _have_ to die. She should still be alive. She should be here, going to school with me. She shouldn’t have been killed by an idiot drunk driver. She shouldn’t—“ Lexa’s words were cut off by a choked sob. “I should have died. Not her. It should have been me.”

Clarke’s head jerked up, eyes wide. She quickly stood, taking a few steps closer to Lexa before stopping herself from touching her. “Lexa, no.”

“Yes, Clarke!” Lexa gasped out. “I should have died. Not Costia. It was my fault. I— I made her come with me. I made her let me drive. I—“

“Couldn’t have known what was going to happen,” Clarke cut off, looking at Lexa firmly. She stepped closer, stoping directly in front of Lexa. “What happened to Costia was not your fault.”

Lexa shook her head, trying and failing to keep the tears at bay. “She shouldn’t have been out with me. She was already sick, and I made her come out. She didn’t want to go.”

Clarke shook her head sadly. “She wanted to be with you, even if that meant going out.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Lexa asked, hands wiping furiously at her eyes and wet cheeks.

“She’d be crazy not to,” Clarke said simply.

Lexa scoffed angrily and dropped her hands to her sides. “She should have known better. _I_ should have known better.”

“Contrary to popular belief, no one can know everything,” Clarke said, a small coaxing smile on her face.

“Says the one who knows everything.”

Clarke shook her head. “I didn’t know you’ve been blaming yourself all these years for something that you couldn’t have stopped.”

“I could have been more careful,” Lexa tried.

“It had nothing to do with your actions, Lex.”

“I could have listened to her.”

Clarke reached forward, barely dragging a finger across Lexa’s hand before pulling her hand back again. “You can’t change what happened with could haves,” she said softly.

“‘It was meant to happen,’ right?” Lexa said, frustrated and upset and annoyed all rolled into one question.

Clarke sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Shit happens in life. This life, the next, and the next. It’s always happened, and it always will.” She took a deep breath and Lexa looked at her curiously. “We can’t change events in the past. We can only look to the future and hope for what’s to come. And maybe, if we’re lucky, we can find a happy story to live out.”

“There are no happy stories.”

“There are no happy stories without a few bumps in the road,” Clarke challenged. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that what is meant to happen will happen, no matter what. But we can make the most of it. Shit gets heavy in life. People come and go. We lose people.” Clarke looked away, her expression darkening for just a second before she looked back at Lexa. “But sometimes we find people, too.”

“I won’t find her again,” Lexa said quietly, tired, both emotionally and physically.

Clarke shook her head. She opened her mouth to say something, but shut it again with another shake of her head and a sad smile. “But you have to keep living.”

“That may be easier said than done.”

Clarke smiled at her. “Then it’s a good thing you have three really good friends and a great family to help you out.” She kicked at the ground nervously, letting out another small sigh. “I’ll see you later, Lex.” She turned, ready to head out of the pitch.

“Four,” Lexa said, taking a step to Clarke and reaching out, hesitating only inches from Clarke’s hand.

Clarke turned back and Lexa quickly righted herself, bashfully pulling her hand back to her side. “What?” Clarke asked, a confused furrow in her brow.

“I have four really good friends. At least, I did. Until I kicked one of them out of my car last night. But...” She bit her lip nervously. Clarke had taken a huge step. Sure, Lexa still didn’t know everything. She probably barely knew any of it, honestly. But Clarke had tried. So Lexa was willing to, too. “But if she’s willing, I’d really like to have her back again. As annoying and frustrating as she is, I was kind of getting used to her being around.”

Clarke stared at her, shocked and surprised, jaw slightly dropped. And then a smile broke out across her face and she jumped forward, pulling Lexa into a hug. “I think she’d like that very, very much,” she said, face burrowed in Lexa’s neck.

Lexa reached her arms around Clarke, pressing her nose into the side of Clarke’s head and smelling the scent that was just... Clarke.

They stood like that for minutes... hours... days... who knew? It could have been forever, for all Lexa was concerned. But then Clarke was pulling back, and Lexa was letting her arms slide away.

When Clarke looked up at her, Lexa almost jerked back in surprise. Because Clarke’s eyes were glossy with tears, a few having escaped to trail down her cheeks traitorously. “Clarke... what...?” She reached out again, her hand resting on Clarke’s waist comfortingly.

Clarke just shook her head, reaching up to wipe away an errant tear with a watery laugh. “Thank you.” She looked back up at Lexa, her smile shining brighter than the few stadium lights that were left on. “Thank you for giving me another chance.”

Lexa nodded, smiling softly down at Clarke. Because she _had_ missed her, even if only for the day they weren’t on speaking terms. She had missed Clarke Griffin more than she probably had any right to.

She pinched Clarke’s side, glaring playfully at her. “Don’t think this means that I don’t still want answers.”

Clarke laughed, pushing Lexa’s hand away. “I wouldn’t dream of it. You’re far too curious for your own good.”

Lexa shrugged, turning away to gather her gear so she could leave for the night. “That’s why you picked me for all this, right? Curiosity and my insatiable desire for adventure.”

Clarke laughed again, walking beside Lexa off of the pitch. “Something like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, there are some answers at least. And SO MANY clues. I’m not going to post them all on tumblr, but I will post some of them in a couple of days. So keep an eye out. 
> 
> What are y’all’s wild theories now? Any new ones popping up? 
> 
> And, what do you all think of the blog? Anything else you want to see in it? Or is it to your liking?
> 
> Remember, you can always shoot me a message on tumblr @starkeepersguide or @musiclurv. And, if you tag @starkeepersguide in any posts or suggest posts for me, you may see them on the blog later. 
> 
> As always, comments/requests/questions/Kudos are always loved and appreciated!


	14. XIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions, questions, and more questions. (And a jersey)

“Oh, thank god,” Raven said dramatically, completely ignoring the ball kicked in her direction. “I thought we had lost you to the abyss of angst.”

Lexa put her water bottle down on the bench, doing her best to not roll her eyes. Really, she was trying.

“So you made up with Clarke?” Raven asked, jogging over to her.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Lexa started, glaring slightly at her, “but, yes. Sort of. It’s complicated.”

“Complicated.”

“Yes,” Lexa said, nodding once. “Complicated. She still has a lot of explaining to do.”

“And that’s different from before because...” Raven trailed off, waiting for Lexa to fill in the blanks.

Lexa walked around Raven, getting ready to join the rest of the team on the pitch for practice. “She’s trying.”

“Again,” Raven said, walking beside Lexa, “that’s different from before because...”

Lexa couldn’t help it. She rolled her eyes. “She’s explaining what she can, when she can.”

“Huh.” Raven pulled Lexa to a stop, tugging on her arm to make them face each other. She grabbed Lexa’s shoulders and looked at her seriously. “Okay, this is really important.”

“Apparently,” Lexa said with a slight uptick to her lips.

“Clarke told you more about her, and that’s great. Really great. I’m glad you’re out of your funk. But...” Raven took a deep breath, preparing her for what she was going to say next. “Okay, _what is she?_ ”

Lexa raised a brow.

“Seriously. What is she? A time traveler? An escapee from the asylum? _An alien?_ ”

Lexa pulled out of Raven’s grip. “She’s a person, just like us.”

“Obviously not just like us,” Raven said. “Or are you just forgetting about the knowing things she shouldn’t know?”

Starting to walk toward the rest of her team again, Lexa shook her head. “I don’t know. But she’ll tell me soon.”

“ _Right_ ,” Raven said skeptically. “And you’re just accepting that now?”

“For now,” Lexa said with a little shrug. “I’m giving her another chance.”

“Well, you know you have three people who are willing to beat the crap out of her if she hurts you.”

“I can take care of myself, Raven,” Lexa said, stopping and crossing her arms, looking over her team as they warmed up.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t help.”

Lexa just hummed noncommittally, nodding toward the team pointedly. Raven took the hint and ran over to her warm-up partner, starting her stretches again.

But her words made Lexa actually think back over the time that she had known Clarke. She had been behaving slightly... not normal for the majority of the time. But she couldn’t be anything but a normal twenty-something, right? Anything else would be absolutely insane.

Clarke was definitely just a girl with a unique past that had a weird job. That was it.

Definitely.

* * *

 

Lexa wasn’t staring.

She was just easily distracted, apparently.

Because she was _trying_ to study for her upcoming final in Russian Lit. She really was trying.

But Clarke, sitting on Lexa’s bed and doodling in her sketchbook, was _distracting_. And it wasn’t Lexa’s fault. At all.

Really.

Lexa glanced up from her textbook again to find Clarke looking down at her sketchbook with an amused smirk, her pencil never faltering.

“Can I help you?” Clarke asked, eyes never straying from the page. She lifted her pencil for a second, looking over her sketch before she went right back at it.

Lexa glared and stubbornly looked back down at her book. “No.”

A light chuckle followed by more sounds of a pencil scratching on paper were her only response.

She lasted a few more minutes before looking up again, eyes skimming over Clarke curiously. Raven’s words echoed in her head as they had been repeatedly since the day before.

Clarke’s pencil fell to her sketchbook and Lexa looked up to find Clarke watching her. “Okay, really. What’s up?”

“What are you?”

Clarke barked out a shocked laugh. “Excuse me?”

Lexa squinted her eyes, looking at Clarke more closely. “Are you an alien or something?”

“Why on earth would you think that?”

“Time traveler?”

“Lexa, what are you going on about?” Clarke asked with a laugh.

Lexa scooted her chair closer to her bed, stopping directly in front of Clarke. “What _are_ you?”

“I’m a person, Lexa.”

“But _what kind_ of person?”

Clarke rolled her eyes, tossing her sketchbook aside. “A normal person, just like you. What brought all this on?”

Lexa sat back in her chair, still looking Clarke over critically. “You don’t act very normal.”

“Define normal.”

“Someone who doesn’t do things like you. Someone who doesn’t talk like you.” Lexa crossed her arms, staring Clarke down stubbornly.

“I feel like I should be insulted,” Clarke said jokingly.

“Clarke.”

“Lexa.”

Lexa sighed. “Is this something you’re not going to answer yet?”

Clarke laughed. “I already answered it. I’m a person. Not any different from you or anyone else.”

“So a time traveler,” Lexa concluded.

“No, Lex,” Clarke said with a light laugh. “I’m not a time traveler.”

Lexa nodded once, looking Clarke over one last time, before her eye was caught by the page Clarke was drawing on. “Not stars this time?” she asked, inching closer curiously.

Clarke picked up the sketchbook, looking the drawing over again before holding it out for Lexa to take. “Not this time. It’s not finished yet, but it’s getting there.”

Lexa took the book from her, turning it over so she could see the drawing correctly. “It’s beautiful,” she said, taking in the strokes of Clarke’s pencil - the sharp lines and the soft shading gathered together to depict... “Is it me?”

“On the pitch, yeah. I thought the big number thirteen would have been a dead giveaway,” Clarke teased, her tone only slightly betraying her nerves. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” She looked up to meet Clarke’s eyes. “So you’ve watched a game, huh?”

“Maybe one or two.” Clarke grinned at her, eyes sparkling with playfulness.

“Did you want to—“ Lexa cut herself off. Because why would Clarke want to come to the final game of her season? She definitely had better things to do than to watch Lexa play. “Never mind.” She placed Clarke’s sketchbook back on the bed and made to move back to her desk.

“No,” Clarke said, reaching out and grabbing Lexa’s hand before she could pull away. “What were you going to ask?”

Lexa bit her lip. The worst she could say was no, right? “Did you want to come to my next game? It’s going to decide if we get to go on to the championship. You totally don’t have to come if you have other things to do. Actually, I’m sure you have other things to do. Forget I asked. It was stupid. Don’t worry about it.” She tugged on her hand, trying to move back again, but Clarke held fast.

“Lexa, breathe,” she instructed, chuckling when Lexa took a deep breath. “I’d love to come.”

“You would?” Lexa asked, shocked that Clarke agreed so quickly. Sure, Clarke didn’t necessarily have a strict schedule that Lexa could tell (she _was_ just sitting in Lexa’s room, drawing all afternoon, after all). But she had to have better things to do than come watch Lexa play.

Clarke nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Oh.” Clarke let her pull her hand away that time, watching on as Lexa gaped at her in confused shock. “Alright. Great. Uhm. Perfect.”

“But,” Clarke started, jerking Lexa out of her surprise. Of course there was a but. Clarke would love to come, _but_ she couldn’t make it. _Of course_. That made so much more sense. “But, I have one stipulation.”

Lexa’s brow furrowed. “Okay...?”

Clarke smiled brightly, pointing over to Lexa’s closet. (And Lexa definitely didn’t almost swoon at the sight of Clarke’s smile. She wasn’t dazed. She didn’t blush at all. No. She was completely unaffected.) “I want your spare jersey to wear. Gotta represent, right?”

“Oh, uhm...” Lexa looked over to her closet before looking back at Clarke. Maybe Clarke didn’t realize what that would imply. Maybe she just wanted to represent the school team. But, Lexa would be lying if she said she didn’t _really_ like the thought of Clarke wearing her number on her back, in Lexa’s actual jersey. “Yeah. Of course.”

Clarke’s smile widened, if at all possible, and she jumped off the bed happily. “It’s a home game, right?” She looked back over her shoulder for Lexa’s reaffirming nod before she pulled Lexa’s closet open. “Excellent. I look fantastic in red.”

“You’d look fantastic in the black one, too.” Lexa’s cheeks burned. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

Clarke looked over her shoulder, brow raised and a cocky smirk on her lips.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, Lexa cleared her throat and stood from her chair. “Ah, right. So, I’m going to get back to studying.” She pushed her chair back to her desk.

She sat back down, resting her forehead in her hand as she leaned over her textbook, pretending to read. She heard Clarke close the closet door and walk closer, presumably to resume her seat on Lexa’s bed.

Then she felt the heat of Clarke’s body beside her, and then Clarke’s lips pressing against her cheek. Clarke’s breath ghosted over Lexa’s skin as she spoke. “You look pretty damn great in both of them too, Commander.”

And maybe Lexa should just accept that she’d be living with a blush for the rest of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooohhhh so many answers. Or are they? Because maybe Clarke isn’t exactly telling the truth. Or maybe she is. Who knows? 
> 
> But Clarke in Lexa’s jersey? A+ work. 10/10 would approve. 
> 
> Theories and ideas, anyone? You can leave your theories below, and they may appear on the @starkeepersguide tumblr blog. OR you can shoot me a message on there, and I’ll definitely reply to it. Or you can do both. Because I love interaction and I want more of it. 
> 
> Your comments/questions/requests/Kudos are always loved (if that wasn’t made clear above). And you can always find me on my personal tumblr @musiclurv as well.


	15. XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pep talks, losing, and winning.

Lexa sat quietly on the bench as her team shuffled around in the locker room, getting ready for the big game.

This was it. The match that would decide if she’d be going to the championship to hopefully lead her team to a final victory before she graduated.

Not to mention, Clarke was going to be watching.

And knowing that if she won this game she’d be even more likely to be pulled in the draft didn’t make her more nervous at all. Definitely not.

Lexa took a deep breath, closing her eyes and centering herself. They’d beaten this team before, and they could do it again. She trusted her teammates, they trusted her, and on that field, they were unstoppable.

She nodded to herself once before clapping her hands and standing up. “Alright, team! Huddle up!”

It was time for one hell of a pep talk.

* * *

 

They were _losing_.

It was only by one point, but it was eighty minutes in, and they were behind. They could barely keep possession of the ball before the other team would steal it back from them.

Lexa hit the ground, her back connecting solidly and the air whooshing out of her in one breath.

It was a foul. The crowd was booing and yelling for it to be called. Her team was shouting for the ref to do _something_ about it.

But there was nothing. The midfielder stole the ball and ran in the opposite direction without even a moment of hesitation.

Lexa took a deep breath and rolled over, pushing herself off the ground and back onto her feet.

“You alright, cap?” Anya called as she ran by, prepared to receive the ball if their team could win it back.

Lexa nodded and gulped in one more breath before taking off.

Because this was _her_ game. And she’d be damned if she let this team take it from her.

She saw Octavia hopping in the net, prepared to block at a moment’s notice.

But Lexa was there first, sliding and kicking the ball away from the forward who was just about to shoot.

The crowd roared.

And Lexa chanced just a glance at where she had caught sight of her jersey on a certain blonde at midfield to see Clarke standing with the rest of the crowd, cheering her on.

She ran back downfield, ready to accept a pass should her defense decide to send one her way, but spared a second to throw a wink at said blonde.

And it was so satisfying to finally not be the one wearing a blush.

But now they only had eight minutes left, and her coach was preparing to sub in a new player to get some fresh legs on the field.

Which was exactly when Lexa saw the opening they needed. She looked up and met Anya’s eyes, both of them having noticed the hole in the other team’s defensive line. If they could just get in position at the right time, they’d be able to tie this thing and maybe even get the chance to win it.

Anya nodded once, and Lexa was off, ready to accept the pass from her midfielder and get it to Anya in two touches, max.

The ball came her way.

One.

Two.

And then Anya had it, turning without missing a beat and sliding it right past the goalie and into the back of the net.

She ran to Anya, colliding with her back and lifting her off the ground before the rest of their team could reach them.

Because now they were tied, and they had a real chance of winning this thing.

Five minutes left, the sub was made, and they were at it again. They just had to get possession, score one more goal, and then keep possession for the rest of the game.

Easy enough.

Another glance to the stands and Lexa saw Clarke sitting on the edge of her seat nervously, ready to launch to her feet in excitement or outrage, depending on the situation.

And, _damn_ , did Lexa’s jersey look good on her.

_Focus, Woods._

The other team was just wasting time, trying to keep the ball away from the Grounders for as long as possible to pull a last minute win out of their possession.

As if they’d allow that.

Octavia bounced around, just off her line, ready for any attack on the goal. Their defensive line was prepped and ready for any offensive. And their midfielders... well, Raven was being Raven, leading the other girls on a defense that forced the ball out of bounds for a throw-in from the Grounders.

Exactly what they needed.

“You got this, babe!” Raven shouted as Anya took the ball to throw it back into play.

Anya winked at Raven, ball overhead already, ready to launch when she saw a good receiver.

And Lexa was there, ready to take them home to victory.

She ran down the line, past the other team’s players who were trying to cover all of the Grounders on the field, and accepted the short ball from Anya. And then she was off.

And once Lexa got going, no one could keep up.

It was just her and the goalie, one on one. The other girl sized Lexa up, light on her feet and ready for any ball that Lexa could throw her way.

Which is why Lexa didn’t.

She dropped the ball back, not missing a step, and continued to run toward the keeper. And then Raven ran up to the ball, catching the keeper off guard, and shot it straight into the upper left corner for a winning goal.

There wasn’t a single person sitting in the stands.

Raven ran forward, falling down to slide across the turf on her knees, and Lexa ran to her, stopping her slide and forcing them both onto the ground. And then there was another body on them, and another, and another... and by the time Lexa was able to actually think again, she was pretty sure the rest of the girls had joined them.

They were able to keep the ball away from their goal until the ref’s final whistle, and then the entire team, coaches and all, were running onto the field to cheer their win.

And then people from the stands flooded in, crowding onto the field, offering congratulations and condolences to each team as needed.

Lexa was riding the high. Her team was going to the championship. They were really going to get a chance to win in her senior year. She was going to get the chance to lead them to victory.

Hands kept hitting her back as one person after another congratulated her. She spun from person to person, accepting hand shakes, hugs, excited jumps and more as everyone soaked in the win.

Lexa couldn’t stop smiling. She honestly didn’t think she could smile any wider given anything in the world.

But, of course she was proven wrong.

Because there was Clarke, standing just a few feet away, arms crossed and smiling proudly at her. And Lexa was blown away again by just how good Clarke looked in her jersey.

And maybe it was the high of the win, or maybe it was just a long time coming. But Lexa took confident steps toward Clarke, grabbed her by the arms and leaned in. She paused just a hair’s breadth away, waiting for Clarke to make the last move (and _god_ did she hope that Clarke would. Soon.).

With just enough time for a heartbeat (though it seemed infinitely longer to Lexa), Clarke closed the distance. Pillowy lips pressed against her own for the first time, and Lexa had to fight off her smile, instead falling into Clarke.

It was one hell of a way to celebrate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT HAPPENED! Now you can all be content and not hate me for leaving things unclear. Right? I’m safe?
> 
> Just remember this moment forever. Hold it tightly in your heart, like our Lexa will. Cherish it. 
> 
> No real hints in this chapter, so you don’t need to go combing through. I mean, there’s a little one in there, but it’s so small that most people probably won’t even realize it. And I’m not saying what it is :D good luck finding it haha
> 
> Follow this story’s tumblr @starkeepersguide for hints, clues, related content, and all other sorts of things. People that are already following it seem to like it, so you should definitely start following if you’re not already. 
> 
> Also, you can find my personal blog @musiclurv. Leave your comments (read: freaking out), questions, requests, Kudos below for some additional personalized love. ‘Til next time!


	16. XV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversations, confusion, and goodbyes.

The fact that she was even slightly surprised at Raven’s reaction the next time she saw her proved just how out of sorts Lexa was feeling.

She had thought she was in the clear when Raven hadn’t bombarded her on the pitch after the game. She knew everyone had seen her and Clarke (they weren’t exactly trying to be discreet), but she had hoped they’d all just leave well enough alone and move on with life.

Oh how wrong she was to hope that.

“Don’t you dare even try to say that nothing is going on now,” Raven said in place of a greeting as she caught up to Lexa to walk to their shared class. And, if tradition served, Octavia would be joining them soon, followed by Anya. Because of course they all waited until their last term to take the easiest Gen. Ed.

(Or supposedly the easiest. Her art credit was not coming easily for her, but that was beside the point.)

(And now she had Clarke to help her, anyway.)

“Hi, Lexa. How are you today? Oh, I’m doing alright. Kind of stressed, but nothing worse than usual. How about you, Raven? Perfect, thanks. Though, I have decided to be a little twat today, so be prepared for that,” Lexa recited, not even sparing a glance at Raven as they continued forward.

Raven rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes. All of that. Now, are you and Clarke official or what?”

“I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”

“It’s been _months_ , Lexa,” Raven said, basically whining. Though, why she was whining, Lexa couldn’t fathom. What happened between her and Clarke literally had nothing to do with Raven.

“Months since what?” Octavia asked, walking up as per usual. “Is that why you’ve been so pouty recently? Is Anya holding out on you?” she continued, smirking around Lexa to see Raven.

“As if. I’ll have you know that after the game last night—“

“We went out on a lovely date,” Anya cut in, winding her way into the conversation and her arm over Raven’s shoulder. “Other than that, it’s none of your business.”

Octavia stuck her tongue out. “Killjoy.”

“We are what we are,” Anya said casually.

“So, what has it been months since?” Octavia asked again.

Raven nudged Lexa with her elbow. “Since Lex here started her thing with miss thang.”

“Don’t call her that,” Lexa said. “And there is no thing.”

All three of her friends pulled to a stop, Lexa not even noticing until she was a few steps ahead of them. She turned back to see them all looking at her with varying looks of disbelief.

“You do know that we all saw The Kiss (TM), right?” Octavia asked, breaking out of her surprise first.

Lexa quirked a brow. “It’s trademarked now?”

“Yes. Definitely. Now, what’s the deal?”

Lexa shrugged and turned back around, continuing to walk toward their class. “No deal. No thing. It was just a kiss.”

“Tell that to all the broken-hearted girls that were waiting to give you their own celebratory something,” Raven said, falling into step beside Lexa again.

“I have to agree with them on this one, Lex. There’s definitely a thing,” Anya said.

“There is no thing!” Lexa said again, throwing her hands out in exasperation. Because really. It was just a kiss. Since when did a kiss have to be a thing?

“Okay, so wait,” Raven said, grabbing Lexa’s arm and pulling her to a stop. The other two stopped as well, curious to see where Raven was going with this. “If you saw me go up to Anya, having not known we were dating—“

“I do know you’re dating.”

Raven waved her off. “If we weren’t dating yet. We were just friends. Completely adamant about that. But then one day, I was happy, and my first thought was ‘hey, I really want to lay a big one on that tall drink of water.’”

“Thanks, babe,” Anya said, rolling her eyes.

Raven winked at her. “Anytime.” She turned back to Lexa. “And then I went up to her and—“ She cut herself off, instead pulling Anya to her and kissing her passionately.

Octavia and Lexa waited.

And waited.

And waited.

_Oh good grief._

“I think you’ve proved your point, Rae,” Lexa said, used to Raven’s antics but definitely feeling a bit uncomfortable with how handsy they were getting. “Knock it off!”

Raven pulled back with a smug grin, wiping her smudged lipstick off of the side of Anya’s lip. “Thanks, babe,” she said, purposefully repeating Anya.

Anya chuckled. “Anytime.”

“I don’t think the visual was exactly necessary,” Octavia said, fighting off a laugh at Lexa’s discomfort at being called out.

“We weren’t that bad,” Lexa tried, hoping that they weren’t actually that bad.

Her friends just stared at her.

So maybe they were that bad. But they hadn’t gotten handsy!

“Okay, I get your point. Whatever,” Lexa said grumpily, turning on her heel once again to maybe actually make it to class on time.

She made it less than three steps before she was stopped again.

“Hey, Lex!”

_Of course_ Clarke had to show up. Because why shouldn’t she be witness to Lexa’s embarrassment once again?

“Hey, Clarke,” Lexa greeted, trying to hide her nervously antsy hands. “What are you doing here?”

Clarke smirked at her, noticing her twitchiness. “I just wanted to say bye.”

Lexa froze. Anya, Octavia, and Raven froze.

Because that was not what was supposed to happen. She definitely wasn’t expecting that. They had just _kissed_ for fuck’s sake. Clarke wasn’t supposed to just up and leave now. They were supposed to... Well, do _something_. Not say ‘goodbye.’

“Uhm...” Lexa stammered, trying to find words.

Clarke grabbed Lexa’s hand and pulled her a little bit away from the rest of the group. She squeezed Lexa’s hand reassuringly, smiling up at her. “I’m sorry, Lexa. I didn’t think I’d have to head out this soon. I was really hoping to stick around for longer, but duty calls.”

“So you’re...” Lexa swallowed around the lump in her throat. She wouldn’t cry. That’d be stupid. She’d only known Clarke a few months now, and she had no reason to cry over her leaving, no matter how much she felt like a vital organ was being ripped out. She cleared her throat and pulled her hand out of Clarke’s. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah,” Clarke said, nodding sadly. “There’s a... problem that can only be solved over in Europe. And, since my parents are stuck in South Africa right now...” She left the rest hanging, knowing Lexa could fill in the blanks.

“Right.” So Clarke was leaving, and Lexa had to stay here. Which was fine. More than fine. She did just fine before Clarke got there, and she’d do just as fine after she left. She’d be _fine_. “Well. It was a pleasure, Clarke.” She held out her hand expectantly. Because, if she could be nothing else, she could be stoic and professional. She knew how to be that.

So, on her mask fell as she raised her chin and looked at Clarke emotionlessly.

Clarke stared back up at her, lips barely parted and brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what had happened. Lexa watched, hand still held out, waiting.

And then Clarke’s expression cleared as if a lightbulb had gone off in her head. “Oh, Lex,” she said with a laugh. She brushed past Lexa’s hand and pulled her into a hug. “I’m not leaving forever. Is that what you were thinking?”

Lexa stood frozen, shocked for the second time in just a few minutes. Her arms hung limply beside her as her brain tried to catch up to what was happening. “What...?”

Clarke laughed again and pulled back, holding Lexa’s arms in her warm hands. “I just have to take care of this real quick. I’ll be gone a few days, a week tops.”

Lexa’s shoulders fell in relief, the tension visibly leaving her. “Oh,” she sighed.

“I can’t believe you thought I was leaving for good.” She pulled Lexa into another hug, burrowing her face into Lexa’s neck. “I couldn’t leave you now if I tried,” she mumbled so only Lexa could hear.

Lexa finally regained control of her seemingly useless arms and raised them to wrap around Clarke’s waist. She couldn’t believe she had been so worried. And she definitely couldn’t believe how relieved she was that Clarke wasn’t leaving forever.

But the feeling of Clarke in her arms felt _so right_ , and Lexa didn’t want to imagine never feeling like that again. Because if she knew anything (and Lexa prided herself on knowing a lot of things), she knew that Clarke leaving now would ruin her.

And she couldn’t figure out how that had happened.

She tightened her arms around Clarke, soaking in her warmth.

“Lex,” Clarke said, and Lexa could hear her smile in her voice. Yet, Lexa still didn’t let go. “Lexa, come on,” Clarke tried again with a little laugh.

Lexa sighed and pulled back slightly, her arms still loosely around Clarke’s waist. Clarke shook her head, still smiling softly up at Lexa, and reached her hand forward to cup Lexa’s cheek.

“What am I going to do with you?” she said teasingly.

Lexa shrugged, trying to pull at least some of her confidence back up. “You’ll have to come back to figure that one out.”

Clarke quirked a brow and breathed out happily. And then she was leaning up on her toes and pulling Lexa down to her, and Lexa was in heaven. She didn’t even care that she was probably more than late to her class or that her friends were probably still watching like the nosey people they were.

All she cared about were Clarke’s lips on hers and Clarke wrapped in her arms. 

And Clarke pulling back far too soon, in Lexa’s opinion. Because that was definitively _not_ a week’s worth of Clarke. (Lexa was not pouting. Lexa Woods did not _pout_.)

Clarke nudged Lexa’s nose and brushed her lips against Lexa’s one more time before pulling back further. “I’ll be back the second I can.”

Lexa could only nod and watch, trying not to grab out at her as Clarke slipped out of her grasp.

Clarke backed away from her, smiling that smile that Lexa couldn’t seem to get enough of ( _god_ , when did she become such a sappy mess?).

And then Clarke was turning and walking toward the parking lot where her bike inevitably waited for her.

“Oh yeah,” Anya said, walking up to Lexa with Raven and Octavia by her side. She leaned her arm on Lexa’s shoulder and followed Lexa’s gaze to Clarke’s retreating back. “Definitely not a thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. So much for that bit of bliss. How long will Clarke be gone? Who knows.
> 
> Did y’all catch the hints in this one?? I didn’t see anyone get the hint in the last chapter, so I’m guessing it was hidden even better than I thought. Let’s see if you’ll all be able to find this chapter’s clues. 
> 
> As always, your comments/requests/questions/kudos are the things that keep me going. AND, you can find this story’s Tumblr @starkeepersguide (or my personal @musiclurv)


	17. XVI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drills, talks, and dreams.

So, it turned out that life without Clarke randomly showing up was actually incredibly boring.

And lonely. But Lexa wouldn’t admit that part out loud.

She was getting a lot of school work finished. When she could concentrate on it, at least. And she was able to focus more on the championship match that was coming up in less than a week. So, it was productive. Lexa was being productive. More productive than she had been in months, she felt like.

But she missed Clarke. And any time she let her mind wander even the slightest, she started wondering where Clarke was, what she was up to, and when she would finally show up again.

It had only been a week, and Lexa was a sappy mess. They weren’t even a _thing_ officially (even if Raven tried to convince her otherwise every chance Clarke came up).

It was disgusting.

But that didn’t make it any less true, and Lexa missed Clarke. She found herself looking over her shoulder when she was walking to class, expecting the blonde to just show up as she was wont to do. She had even started talking when she was alone in her room, thinking Clarke was there.

Clarke had engrained herself in Lexa’s life in ways that Lexa hadn’t even realized. So now, even the most mundane moments felt like something was missing. Which was stupid because Clarke had only been around a _few months_. (Lexa liked to remind herself of this fact when she was becoming unreasonably sad and lonely and pathetic.)

(Because what better way to make yourself feel better than to make yourself feel even more pathetic?)

“Five more sets, ladies!” Lexa yelled out, watching as the last five members of her team went through their suicide drills. “Get that hand on the ground, Monroe! If you don’t hurry up, everyone is going to have to do ten more!”

“Yikes. And I thought you were hard on our group,” Octavia said, taking a large swig of water after. She was still trying to recover from the fifty sets that Lexa had made them do before this new group started.

“Our group could have handled more,” Lexa said. Was she tired? Yes. Did she feel like her muscles were probably going to give out if she pushed them any more? Absolutely. But it was a welcomed distraction for the moment. “And they haven’t even finished thirty of them.”

“Not everyone is always ready for an endurance test, Commander.”

Lexa scowled. “Well I’d like to know how they’re planning on pulling out a win next week if this is all they’ve got.”

“Lexa,” Octavia said cautiously. She placed her hand on Lexa’s arm and waited until Lexa’s gaze darted to her. “They’re tired. We’re all tired. Save the rest for tomorrow, okay?”

The strain in her shoulders dropped, and Lexa nodded. Maybe she was being hard on them. “Fine.” She looked back out at her team, some sprawled on the grass, still trying to gather their breath back, the five still finishing up their drills, others stretching or moving around as much as they could with how sore they were feeling. “Wash up!” she yelled out for everyone to hear.

Everyone cheered and gathered their things as quickly as they could (though for some, that wasn’t very quickly at all. They even needed help getting back to the locker room).

_Oops_.

Lexa watched as the last of her team trickled through the tunnel and out of her view. Octavia turned back with a questioning look, but Lexa motioned for her to continue on. She’d do a lap or two to cool down before cleaning up and heading out.

“Woods!”

Lexa jumped, surprised, spinning around on her heal at the sound of her coach. “Yes, coach?”

Indra looked over Lexa and then the field around them. “You were pushing them hard today.”

“We need to be in the best shape we can be if we want to win against Azgeda, ma’am.”

Indra nodded. “Yes. But that doesn’t mean running them into the ground first.”

Lexa cringed. “I may have been a bit too hard on them.”

“Maybe.” Indra walked over to the bench, sitting down on it and beckoning Lexa to join her. “What’s going on, Woods?”

“Nothi—“

“Don’t lie to me. I like to think that I know you pretty well after coaching you for four years,” Indra said, cutting her off. She gave Lexa an expectant look.

Lexa leaned over, her elbows on her knees as she looked out over the pitch. “I just want to win this game.”

“Woods.” Indra raised her brows when Lexa looked over her shoulder at her. “The truth. I’ve seen you when you want to win before. You were never this harsh.”

Lexa’s head fell between her shoulders heavily. “It’s going to sound stupid. It even sounds stupid to me.”

“Try me.”

Lexa sighed. “There’s this girl,” she started. “And I haven’t even known her for that long. But she went out of town for a while, and it’s throwing me off.”

“So, you miss her,” Indra concluded. Lexa nodded sheepishly. “That doesn’t sound so stupid to me.”

“But it is. She used to annoy me so badly, just showing up out of the blue, and being around all the time, and dragging me out to do who knows what at crazy hours of the night. And she’s infuriatingly secretive about things. Honestly, I don’t even know why I put up with her.” Indra cleared her throat pointedly. With an apologetic smile, Lexa concluded, “She was just starting to be around a lot, and I kind of miss that.”

Indra nodded. “Well, can your coach give you some advice?”

Lexa stared, shocked that Indra had even allowed her to rant like she had. She was usually so no-nonsense about anything personal. She finally shook herself out of her shock and nodded.

Which was when Indra smacked her upside the back of the head. “Keep it off the field. Your team doesn’t deserve to be beaten into a pulp because you miss your girlfriend.” She pushed off of the bench and stood, brushing imaginary dirt off of her pants.

_That_ was more like Indra. “Yes, coach,” Lexa agreed when Indra looked at her expectantly.

Indra nodded again, satisfied with Lexa’s answer, and turned to walk off the pitch. “Oh, and Woods?” she said, stopping to call back.

“Coach?”

Indra pointed at her. “Clarke wouldn’t want you to be a jerk. Even if you are usually, and I quote, grumpy.”

Lexa’s jaw dropped. “How—“

“She called me, Woods. How she knew my number, I’ll never know. But, she said you were probably being harder on the team than usual.” Indra looked pointedly at all of the training gear left around the pitch. “She apparently knows you pretty well.”

Lexa’s surprise turned into a laugh. “Yeah, I guess she does.” She gestured around to everything left on the field. “I’ll get all this cleaned up.”

“You’d better. And get some sleep. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your exhaustion.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lexa said, nodding. Indra stared her down with a threat in her eyes for another moment before turning back and walking away.

And Lexa, like Indra, had no idea how Clarke could have gotten Indra’s number. But it was Clarke, and Lexa knew better than to ask questions.

* * *

 

“And that, my friends, is how you get a duck in a pantsuit to win at hopscotch,” Raven finished with a flourish of her hands.

And Lexa really wished that she had been paying attention to the rest of the story, because that actually sounded like some valuable (though incredibly weird) information, if for nothing else than to be able to tell the story later.

But it was too late for that now, because Octavia was already turning her skeptical look from Raven onto Lexa. “Anyway...” she transitioned.

“Excuse me, that was an awesome story. Don’t ‘ _anyway_ ’ me,” Raven pouted, crossing her arms over her chest petulantly.

Octavia looked at her pointedly. “ _Anyway_ ,” she started again, “any news on the Clarke front?”

Lexa shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. “Not a word.”

Which was fine. Totally fine. Sure, the championship game was in two days, and they’d be leaving their campus that night to drive to Azgeda so they’d have a full day to prepare without having to worry about traveling. But it was fine. Clarke didn’t have to let Lexa know what was happening. And she definitely didn’t need to be at Lexa’s game (no matter how good she’d look in Lexa’s spare jersey).

“She’ll be there,” Octavia said consolingly.

Lexa rolled her eyes and scoffed. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not worried about it. Clarke has other things to do, obviously.”

“It’s been almost two weeks now, hasn’t it?” Raven asked, jumping into the conversation again. She stole a fry from Octavia’s plate. “And still not even a text?”

“They aren’t a _thing_ , remember, Rae?” Anya asked sarcastically.

“Oh, right. So Clarke doesn’t need to check in because Lexa _obviously_ doesn’t care that she isn’t back yet. And she’s _clearly_ not in any sort of funk because of it,” Raven said, carrying on with Anya’s sarcasm. “In fact, Clarke doesn’t ever need to come back, and it’d be fine.”

Lexa glared at her. “Are you finished?”

“I guess,” Raven said with a dramatic sigh. “Are you ready to admit that you’re a thing now?”

“I’m sure that there are better things to talk about than my personal life,” Lexa said flatly. “Like the game in two days. We need to go over plays.”

“With the team, at practice this afternoon. Right now is all about personal,” Raven prodded, scooting her chair closer to Lexa’s.

“I _personally_ don’t want to talk about it,” Lexa ground out through her clenched teeth. She was on edge enough without her friends pushing her even more. She really just wanted to go run drills with her team. Or maybe get caught up on her reading for history. In fact... “I have to go.” She stood and threw her bag over her shoulder, gathering her uneaten lunch together to dispose of.

“What? Wait, no. We can talk plays!” Raven shouted, grabbing Lexa’s arm and trying to pull her back into her seat. Lexa tried to shake her off to no avail.

“You’re ridiculous, Raven,” Octavia said, watching her friends struggle. “I’ll walk with you, Lex.” She stood from her seat, gathering her things as well.

“I feel abandoned,” Raven said dramatically. “Left all alone to fend for myself in this warren land!”

“I’m right here, babe,” Anya said, watching Raven with a bored look on her face. They had all been subject to Raven’s dramatics before, so it was nothing new to any of them.

Raven gestured to Anya. “But I know all about _your_ personal life!”

Anya just rolled her eyes and waved Lexa and Octavia away.

They dropped their trays off on their way out, walking in silence for the majority of the way back to the dorms.

Lexa finally broke the silence when the dorm building came into view. “Did you want to discuss something, O?”

Octavia continued walking calmly, looking the picture of relaxed. “Wanting to get away from Raven isn’t a good enough excuse?”

Lexa quirked a brow at her. “Raven’s your best friend.”

“Touché,” Octavia said with a grin. She thought quietly for a moment, seeming to gather her thoughts together. “You do know she’s just worried about you, right? In her own Raven way.”

“I know,” Lexa grumbled. “That doesn’t mean I want to sit through all of that, though.” She gestured back the way they came.

Octavia laughed. “Fair enough. But, we are all worried, you know? Not just about you and this funk you’re in, but about Clarke, too. What is she getting up to? Is it dangerous? Why hasn’t she contacted any of us?”

“You think I haven’t asked the same questions?” Lexa asked, brow scrunching in frustration. “She apparently called Indra last week some time, but I have no idea when or even how she got her information.”

“Your girlfriend is so weird,” Octavia said with a chuckle.

Lexa couldn’t help the soft smile pulling at her lips. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“That smile says otherwise.”

“It’s still not a thing,” Lexa argued, though she still couldn’t stop the smile.

Octavia rolled her eyes, smiling at Lexa. “Whatever you say, Captain.” They pulled to a stop outside of the main entrance to the dorms. Octavia would continue on, down toward the other entrance that was closer to her room. “Just, let us know if you need anything, alright? And if Clarke gets in touch with you.”

“Since when do you give me orders?”

“Since you decided that you didn’t want to take care of yourself,” Octavia said, looking Lexa over pointedly. “I’ll see you at practice.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Lexa looked up at the dorms, silently dreading having to read through her history textbook while she waited for practice to start. She really didn’t feel like trying to concentrate on anything school related.

Which is why, when she got to her dorm room, she set an alarm on her phone and fell face first onto her bed.

* * *

 

_The forest trees whipped past her as she ran through them, looking back over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure the creature wasn’t catching up to them. The girl running beside her was breathing heavily, her gun held firmly in her hands._

_And Lexa’s arm_ hurt _. But that didn’t really matter at the moment. They had to get as far away from the beast as they could. And night was falling fast. If they didn’t get away, then... well, Lexa didn’t want to think about that._

_But the creature should have been trapped in the enclosure. It_ shouldn’t _have been able to get out. But Lexa had seen such creatures do much worse than just get out of a locked cell. And she was pretty sure that, were they still close enough to the enclosure, they’d hear the beast break out to chase them._

_Maybe their scent would be faded enough by the time it got out, though. Maybe it would lose interest in a couple of girls. Maybe it would find a different source of food for the night._

_Maybe, maybe, maybe._

_There were too many ‘maybes’ for Lexa to feel comfortable stopping. So she ran, and she encouraged her companion to keep running, even though she looked exhausted. Her gaze kept darting to Lexa, a flash of concern before she looked forward again. Lexa shook it off. Surely the girl wasn’t concerned about her or her injured arm. They were barely allies, much less friends. So she wouldn’t be concerned for her, Lexa. Unless she was concerned that Lexa, the Commander, wouldn’t make it and the tentative agreement would fall apart._

_That would make more sense._

_But the next Commander would take over and protect the girl and her people. It was how this whole thing worked. It was how, after generations of struggling to survive, they were able to work toward actual progress and make the coalition work._

_That and a lot of blood and sweat from Lexa. But that wasn’t her concern at the moment._

_Her concern wasn’t even holding this flimsy alliance together._

_Her concern was the blonde girl, running beside her. She was the only thing that really mattered. Getting her away from the danger. Getting her as far away from the possibility of death as she could. Which was why she had sacrificed one of her own warriors to protect the girl. It was why she had proclaimed her protection over the girl to her people. It was why she was willing to risk her neck to get this girl out of the grip of the Pauna._

_She was the reason for so, so many things._

_Finally, after what felt like hours of running, they slowed. They still weren’t back at the encampment. But Lexa knew how to survive on the land. She knew how to make fire, catch something for them to eat, listen out for any danger coming their way, protect them should that danger come..._

_Her eyes darted back the way they came, searching for any sign of the beast._

_The girl was sleeping, though not very peacefully. Her eyes kept moving under her eyelids, her brow furrowed, her fists clenched. She definitely wasn’t getting the rest she needed._

_And Lexa... well, Lexa couldn’t help her. She couldn’t comfort her the way the girl needed. Not even if she wanted to (and she wanted to. Lexa could feel it in every beat of her heart, every pump of her blood, every fiber of her being). But, love was weakness. Caring for this girl was going to lead to Lexa’s downfall. She had to listen to her head, not her heart. She couldn’t keep allowing this girl to affect her._

_Lexa watched her. She was sure the girl would wake up soon. But for the moment, she’d watch over her._

_Just like she knew she’d continue doing, even if it meant that her command would be questioned. Even if Titus’ words kept repeating over and over in her head. Maybe head and heart could rule together._

_Because this girl was special. She would change the world._

_Clarke’s eyes opened, and Lexa stared back into the clearest blue she had ever seen._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI HOW ARE YOU THATS A HUGE CLUE RIGHT THERE. Did you all catch it? Because if you didn’t... Well, maybe go back and look again. Because OH MAN it was huge. Like, Eiffel Tower huge. Grand Canyon huge (that’s quite a bit larger than the Eiffel Tower, though).
> 
> As always, you can find the tumblr for this fic @starkeepersguide or you can find my personal tumblr @musiclurv. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to either of those! And you can now submit to the Starkeeper’s Guide tumblr, so if you see anything you think relates or you just want to share something, please do!
> 
> Your comments/requests/questions/Kudos bring me all the joy in the world and actually make me want to get on writing the sequel for this sooner than I originally planned. So there’s a bit of enticement for you all.


	18. XVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowers, champagne, and celebration.

If anyone asked, Lexa was not freaking out. And she definitely wasn’t feeling her anxiety spike at the thought of the upcoming game. Because her team was prepared, and they had a score to settle with Azgeda, and this year was _their year._

She had, of course, repeated this exact line to her team multiple times in the past weeks, trying to pump them up for the game ahead of them. And no matter how often people said sport was just about having a good time and enjoying what you did, they all knew that this was a game that would decide some of their futures and would decide the legacy they left behind as the Trikru Grounders.

So, yeah, she was feeling a bit of pressure.

She sat down heavily on the bench in the empty locker room, her head nestled between her hands as she leaned over her knees. Her team was counting on her, and she couldn’t let them down. Not after bringing them this far. Not this year.

After a few deep, heavy breaths, Lexa looked up at her jersey, hanging on her locker and waiting for her to don one last time.

One last game before she and the rest of the seniors on their team graduated and left the reigns in the capable hands of those left behind. She had already selected who she would be passing the captain’s armband on to.

But this was her legacy, and this was her jersey. She’d wear it proudly one last time to hopefully bring home the trophy for her school.

If she could just _stop_ her heart from trying to beat out of her chest.

“Hey there, cap,” announced the new arrival before Lexa heard the light knock on the locker room doorframe.

Lexa jerked around, her neck twinging at the movement, and stared in shock. Because Clarke was poking her head into the locker room, looking tired and a little worse for wear, but so beautifully _there_.

“Clarke,” Lexa said, standing up and taking a quick step toward the blonde. She caught herself and pulled back again, trying to pull back on her cool demeanor. Could she ramble on about how much she unreasonably missed her? Yes. And could she run to Clarke and give her a hug like she had been dying to do since the moment Clarke walked away from her? Absolutely. Would she, though? Definitely not. “I didn’t think you’d make it,” she settled on.

Clarke scoffed with a playful roll of her eyes and stepped fully into the locker room, one hand held behind her back. “And miss the biggest game of your career thus far? I’m not that flakey.”

“I had my doubts,” Lexa said with a teasing smirk.

Clarke shoved her shoulder when she got close enough. “Rude. And here I am, having just raced from the airport after having run across what feels like half of Europe just to get here on time. I’m glad to see it was appreciated.” She grinned widely at Lexa’s unimpressed expression (even if her own smile gave her away), and pulled a bouquet from behind her back. “But hopefully these will be at least a little impressive.”

Lexa crossed her arms, hip cocked as she looked Clarke and her flowers over. Of course, she loved the flowers. And she was giddy that Clarke thought to get them for her. But instead of voicing that, she said, “So you had time to stop for flowers?”

Clarke turned slightly away. “Well, if you don’t want them, I’ll just take me and my flowers back home.”

With a laugh, Lexa reached out quickly, grabbing Clarke’s arm and spinning her back around. She wrapped her arm around Clarke’s waist when it looked like she was likely to lose her balance, and took the flowers from her. “I love them. Thank you.”

“I thought you could use a little pick-me-up,” Clarke said with a cheeky grin. “And maybe a little good luck charm.” She took a step back and pulled her jacket aside to reveal Lexa’s home jersey across her chest.

Lexa pointed at her number, jaw dropped. “How did you— I don’t— I left that in my dorm, Clarke!”

Clarke nodded, looking down at the jersey with a disgruntled scrunch to her brow. “I know. And locking your door made it take me longer to get it. But, I managed to, _and_ I still got here on time. Impressed now?” she asked, waggling her brows with a dorky grin.

“So you’re an expert lock-picker, too?” Lexa asked. She should have expected it, really.

“Well, not an expert. You should meet my dad. Now, _he’s_ an expert.”

“You’re all criminals, then?” Lexa guessed, still trying to work out just what Clarke got up to. And while thinking of her as a criminal should have turned her off of Clarke... well, it actually did just the opposite (another secret that Lexa would take to her grave).

Clarke laughed, and Lexa melted at the sound of it. “No, not criminals. Though we have had to get into places that we weren’t necessarily supposed to be. But that’s neither here nor there. How are you feeling? Ready to crush some Azgeda ass?”

Lexa narrowed a glare at Clarke, promising silently that they would discuss that bit of information later - a glare that Clarke pointedly ignored. She shrugged when Clarke just kept beaming up at her. “As ready as I can be, I guess.”

“That doesn’t sound like the confident captain I’ve grown to know,” Clarke said, her brow scrunching again adorably. She sat down on the bench and beckoned Lexa down beside her. When Lexa sat, Clarke grabbed her hands and pulled them into her lap. “What’s wrong? I thought you were looking forward to this game.”

Lexa nodded, trying to convince herself just as much as Clarke. “I am. Our entire season has been leading up to this game. And we’re ready. We’ve trained and practiced and studied as much as we possibly could have.”

“Then what is it?” Clarke’s thumb traced calmingly back and forth across the back of Lexa’s hand, and Lexa looked down to watch the affectionate touch.

“I guess it’s just...” Lexa paused, biting her lip as she gathered her thoughts. “It’s just that this will be my last game with these girls. And maybe my last time playing soccer for any sort of team. After this, no matter how much I’ve planned, my future is still up to people who I’ve only ever met in passing, if that. What if I suck out there, and no one decides to pick me in the draft? What if I kick ass, and I still don’t get selected? And what if I let my team down? What if we do lose to Azgeda, and the shelf in Indra’s office stays empty of any trophies from the women’s soccer team? What if—“ A soft finger pressing against her lips cut her off.

“Lex, breathe,” Clarke said following a soft laugh. She moved her finger away from Lexa’s lips to instead cup Lexa’s cheek in her palm. She nudged her gently, getting Lexa to look at her. “That was a lot of ‘what if’s’ that you can’t possibly know the answers to. And you didn’t let them bother you before. So, why are you letting them bother you now?”

Lexa took a deep, shaky breath. “It just all seems a lot more real now.”

Clarke nodded understandingly. “If I tell you something, will you just trust me and not ask any questions about it?”

Lexa looked at her suspiciously. “That really depends what it is.”

“It’s something I really shouldn’t tell you,” Clarke said, nervously smiling at her. “But I think you may need to hear it.”

“Is this another Griffin family secret?”

Clarke laughed. “Something like that.”

“Alright,” Lexa said with a dramatic sigh. “Lay it on me.”

Clarke leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Lexa’s and closing her eyes. “You’re going to be fine. After this game. And into the next. You have a really long soccer career ahead of you, if you want it.”

Lexa pulled back, her confusion etched across her face. “What—“

Clarke held up her hand. “I said no questions, remember?”

“How can you possibly expect me to not ask any—“

Clarke’s lips pressed against Lexa’s, her fingers tangling in Lexa’s hair. And though Lexa knew exactly what Clarke was doing, she let herself be distracted. Because it had been weeks since she had felt Clarke’s lips on her own, and they felt just as good as she had remembered.

When Clarke pulled back, she trailed her fingers across Lexa’s jaw before letting them fall to her lap. Lexa opened her eyes to see Clarke’s still closed, her lower lip trembling slightly. Then blue met green again, and Clarke’s playful grin was back in place. 

“You’ve got this, Lex,” she said with a wink.

Clarke stood from the bench and left the locker room with just a momentary pause at the door to look back at Lexa, still frozen on the bench. She chuckled and shook her head before opening the door and sliding back out into the hall.

Not a minute later, the rest of Lexa’s team filed into the room, rowdy and anxious as ever.

Lexa took a deep breath, trying to gather her wits again.

It was time.

* * *

 

 

The game went by in a flash.

One minute she was walking onto the pitch, ready for warmups, and the next she was being tackled to the turf, her teammates piling on top of her after her winning goal.

She remembered every minute of it. The checks, the bumps, the bruises, and the new scar she was sure to have across the back of her thigh from a tackle that didn’t get called.

But the game was over, and they had won.

When she was standing again, she was able to see Ontari storming off, ignoring all of her teammates that tried to console her on her way. And maybe Lexa was petty, but she was so glad to see the captain of the other team so pissy about losing. It felt so good to beat her.

The Grounders gathered on the field, Indra in the center of them all, and accepted the trophy for their win. Their win that they had worked so hard for. Through blood, sweat, and tears, Lexa had led this team for the past year to this exact moment.

She accepted the trophy, weighing it in her hands in awe for just a moment before she spun on her heel and held it up. Her team cheered wildly, hands flying up to touch it as Lexa walked through the group toward her coach.

And if she didn’t know any better, she would have said there were tears threatening to fall from Indra’s eyes.

“Coach,” Lexa said, handing the trophy over to her. Indra clasped the other side and nodded proudly at Lexa. Then, with a grin, they both raised the trophy above their heads, cheering loudly with the rest of the team and all their supporters in the stands.

The celebration on the pitch didn’t seem to be coming to an end. And Lexa couldn’t have cared less. She was so ecstatic that Raven could have dragged her out to another rager and she still would have been grinning from ear to ear.

The moment her eyes caught on a sparkly pair of blue eyes staring right back at her knowingly, Lexa was even more ecstatic.

She made her way over to Clarke, pushing through her teammates after leaving the trophy with them to pass around and take selfies with. She was pulled into a few herself on the way, but she gladly took photos with her team, sweat soaked and smelling as they were.

“How did you know?” Lexa yelled over the sounds of celebration. She was pretty sure she heard a champagne bottle pop, but that also could have been Raven queuing up whatever celebratory explosive she had inevitably brought along. (She sincerely hoped it was the former).

Clarke shrugged nonchalantly. “Magic?”

Lexa laughed. “You know, I don’t think I would doubt it.”

Clarke grinned at her, winding her arms around Lexa’s shoulders when she was close enough. “You’re learning.”

Lexa opened her mouth to try to come up with something witty in response, but Clarke closed the distance between them, effectively cutting her off again. Not that she’d complain. Because if she was going to be shut up, Clarke kissing her was the best way to be so.

The champagne that covered them moments later, spraying out of the new bottle that was just popped, she could have passed on, though.

Clarke laughed and broke out of their kiss. “They say champagne is bottled stars,” she said, watching the last dregs of the bottle land on their arms. She caught one drop that was falling down Lexa’s arm, staring down at it for just a moment.

Lexa shook herself out of watching Clarke and instead looked around to find Raven laughing at them. “Couldn’t let you miss all the fun, right?” she yelled happily.

And Lexa couldn’t find it in herself to rebuke Raven or even look slightly sour about being soaked in alcohol.

Clarke laughed again, leaning up to place a kiss on Lexa’s cheek. She pulled back just far enough to whisper into Lexa’s ear, “It’s not quite magic.”

“Feels a lot like it,” Lexa replied, chasing Clarke’s lips to kiss her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clarke’s back!! Who else is excited? Because I sure am. She always brings all the fun, right? (But actually, define “fun”)
> 
> Any new guesses? There were some definite clues in there, if you care to find them. 
> 
> Just a head’s up, I’m heading into another surgery this week, so idk when I’ll be posting the next chapter. I’ll try to get it in before I’m hopped up on meds, but no promises. 
> 
> Come find the tumblr for this fic @starkeepersguide. I’m following everyone back on my personal tumblr, and I’m always ready and willing to chat! And, as always, leave your comments/requests/questions/kudos below for ALL the love.


	19. XVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee, studying, and a walk.

If not for her quick reflexes, Lexa surely would have knocked over the paper coffee cup that was placed next to her as she highlighted another section of text in her book.

She would have, but instead, Lexa jerked in surprise and drew across her own arm with the highlighter.

With a withering glare at the offending mark across her skin, Lexa looked up to be met with a smiling Clarke. “I figured you could use a break.”

“No time,” Lexa said, grabbing the cup Clarke had brought her and brining it up to her nose, soaking in the smell of her favorite coffee. “Gotta study.”

“You’ve been studying since seven this morning,” Clarke said, sitting down across from Lexa at the library table. Her fingers tapped against the table where they rested, creating a steady beat against the hard wood. Lexa’s eyes lingered there for just a moment longer before she dragged them up to meet Clarke’s expectant stare. “You need a break.”

“I _need_ to pass this final,” Lexa countered. She glanced back down at Clarke’s fingers - still tapping away - and then bent over her textbook again. “Thank you for the coffee,” she offered after a beat.

“You’re welcome.” Clarke looked around the library, presumably taking in all the other students who were cramming in as much last minute studying as they could before finals started the next day. “It’s so drab in here.”

“It’s a library.” Lexa drew her highlighter across another line of text. Definitions and dates and names and... She was getting a headache. She glanced at the clock on the wall opposite her, noting that she had been there for almost eight hours already.

_Only eight more to go._

Clarke hummed, her fingers still tapping away. “I’m sure there’s a better way to study than sitting in a stuffy library.”

Lexa just grunted, trying to read through another section and not let Clarke distract her - tapping fingers or no.

Clarke fell silent (as silent as Clarke could be), resting her chin on her propped up hand, her left hand still tapping out a beat on the table top.

“Are you just going to sit there and watch me study?” Lexa asked after a few minutes of silence, not looking up from her book.

“Maybe,” Clarke said. She reached forward, her fingers _finally_ stopping their tapping, and rubbed between Lexa’s eyes with her thumb softly. “You get this little crease here when you’re studying.”

Lexa looked up at Clarke’s thumb, going cross eyed in the process. “It’s called concentrating.” She shook her head slightly to dislodge Clarke’s thumb.

“It’s called cute,” Clarke said, grinning cheekily at her as she pulled her hand back. And Lexa definitely wasn’t blushing. Not even a little. “You’re working too hard.”

Lexa looked back down, trying to hide her blush behind her desire to keep studying. “I’m not working hard enough. You’re distracting.”

“I can be more of a distraction,” Clarke shot back quickly, a mischievous glint sparkling in her eyes. She walked her fingers across the table, trailing the tips just barely against Lexa’s arm that was resting beside her book.

_That wasn’t distracting at all._

“Your presence is enough of a distraction.”

Clarke barked out a laugh, pulling her hand back again. “And you hide it so well.”

“Are you mocking me?” Lexa asked, glaring up at Clarke through her blush. Because she knew what Clarke was insinuating, and while their affections had never progressed past some heavy making out, she wouldn’t put it past Clarke to use sex as a distraction.

A really freaking _awesome_ distraction.

Lexa shook the thoughts out of her head. “Mockery is not the product of a strong mind.”

Clarke’s smile twitched. “Seems like you may want a distraction, Lex,” She said teasingly, leaning over the table just enough to show off her assets. _And what beautiful assets they were._

Another shake of the head and Lexa glared down at her book, adamant that she’d remain focused on the task at hand. And not the task she _wanted_ to be at hand. The task she wanted _very badly_ to be at hand. “I need to study, Clarke.”

“You need to study Clarke,” Clarke repeated, adjusting the tone to mean exactly what she meant it to. Lexa’s ears burned.

“You, unfortunately, aren’t a piece of Russian literature,” Lexa mumbled, trying to keep at least a little of her pride in tact. Her heart pounding in her chest wasn’t helping that fight at all.

“Unfortunate. But I’d say I’m far more interesting.”

“Most things are,” Lexa said, leaning further over her textbook. “Now, if you’ll excuse me...” she trailed off, pointedly refusing to look up at Clarke.

Clarke huffed what sounded like a mix of a laugh and disbelief. “Alright, Lex. I’ll leave you to it. But I’ll be back in a little while.” She stood and walked around the table to stand beside Lexa. Her fingers brushed Lexa’s hair off of her forehead before she leaned down and pressed her lips there gently. “You’re lucky I have things I need to get done.”

Lexa looked up at her as she pulled away. “Then why’d you come here in the first place?”

Clarke shrugged. “To see my girlfriend and try to keep her from killing herself with Russian Lit,” she explained nonchalantly.

So nonchalantly that Lexa almost missed the title mixed in there.

Almost.

Clarke’s grin proved just how aware she was of what she said. “See ya later, Lex.”

It took Lexa a good hour after Clarke left to make it through a single page of her book.

* * *

 

“Alright,” Clarke said, announcing her arrival by picking up Lexa’s bag and beginning to gather her things that were spread across the table. “Time to go.”

“Wait. Clarke what— Hey, careful with that! — what are you doing?” Lexa stammered out, trying to grab at her textbook and notes and pens and anything else she could salvage from Clarke’s hands.

“Packing up your things. You’re getting out of this library,” Clarke explained, not pausing for a second as she threw some more things in Lexa’s bag.

Lexa covered her book with her upper body, guarding it from Clarke. “I’m not finished. And it’s not even that late.”

Clarke stopped her rampage, looking Lexa in the eye seriously. “Lex. It’s after ten.”

Lexa whipped around in her chair, looking out the library windows to see that it was, in fact, dark out already.

“Have you even eaten anything?” Clarke asked, sliding Lexa’s book from the table (and placing a scrap of paper in to mark her spot, thankfully) before tossing it into Lexa’s bag as well.

Lexa shook her head, still surprised by how late it was. “I didn’t realize it was this late.”

Clarke chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Of course you didn’t. Which is why I’m here to get you.”

“Did you finish what you needed to do?” Lexa asked, chasing after her bag as Clarke swung it over her own shoulder. “I can carry that.”

“And risk you running off to somewhere else in this place? Not likely.” Clarke started walking away, expecting Lexa to follow her. “I finished enough.”

Lexa caught up to Clarke, rolling her neck to try to work some of the kinks out of it. “What did you need to do?”

Clarke looked at her out of the corner of her eye, an endeared smirk playing at her lips. “Things.”

“Very specific,” Lexa said, rolling her eyes. They made it out of the library and down the steps, Clarke walking like a woman with a plan. “Hey, slow down. What’s the rush?” Lexa asked, pulling on Clarke’s arm to slow her down.

“Places to be and things to see, Lex. You know how it goes,” Clarke said evasively. She slid her arm out of Lexa’s grip and grabbed her hand instead.

“ _Right_...” Lexa said, eying her suspiciously.

Clarke just grinned and continued walking, leading Lexa back to her dorm.

They stopped outside of Lexa’s building, Clarke turning to face Lexa. She handed off Lexa’s bag. “Alright, you have food waiting for you in your dorm. Eat and then try to get some sleep, yeah?”

Lexa’s brow furrowed in confusion. “You’re not coming up?”

Clarke shook her head. “Places to be, Lex. Remember?” She leaned forward to place a lingering kiss on Lexa’s lips. “And, that’s for me,” she hummed happily after pulling back.

“What if I go right back to studying?” Lexa challenged. And maybe she was just trying to come up with an excuse for Clarke to stay longer, but if Clarke had dragged her out of the library, the least she could do was stick around for a bit to keep Lexa company.

“You won’t. You’re almost asleep on your feet.” Clarke took a step back and looked up at Lexa’s window. “I can come by later, if you’d like,” she said almost shyly, a little pink tinting her cheeks.

Lexa squeezed the hand she still held in her own. “I’d like that.”

Clarke smiled widely at her. “I’ll see you later, then.”

“Try not to wake me up,” Lexa said with a playful glare.

Clarke laughed. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” She pulled her hand away, turning her back on Lexa to walk to her bike. She started it up and pulled her helmet on, shouting over the noise, “See you later, babe!”

Lexa waved her off, watching until she drove out of sight.

* * *

 

_The sound of gunshots echoed through the halls._

_Lexa’s heart was pounding. She had to get there in time. She couldn’t lose her. She couldn’t let her get hurt. She had to save her. To stop the attack. To protect her._

_Because love wasn’t weakness, but even if it was, she would gladly be weak for her._

_She flung the door open and felt searing pain not a moment after._

_The shots ceased, and Lexa sunk to the floor. Or, she would have, had strong arms not caught her._

_Clarke’s watery eyes stared down at her, the girl’s hands fluttering over her abdomen, her blood staining them black._ Charcoal had stained them black before _, Lexa thought idly. The irony that her blood was staining the hands of her artist - the blood of death staining the hands of a creator - wasn’t lost on her. She just wished she could stay with her longer. Help her create more. Heal more._ Live _more._

_Her breath shuttered in her chest._

_But, Lexa decided as Clarke’s tears began to fall, if Clarke was the last thing she was going to see in her life, she was okay with that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one! Let’s just call them Grand Canyon moments from not on. Did you all catch it?? (I doubt anyone would have missed that one after the first one, anyway).
> 
> How was that fluff for y’all? Short and sweet, but we’re getting to a point that’s about to pick up real quick. So prepare yourselves. 
> 
> Thank you all for the well wishes for my surgery! It went well, and I am alive and well. So, thanks again. 
> 
> Your comments/requests/kudos are always so, so loved. And I am really enjoying your theories. I will say that there have been a few theories that are REALLY CLOSE to the truth. I won’t say when said theories were posted, but a few of them were a while back. So good job everyone on your ideas! 
> 
> Come follow the blog for this fic @starkeepersguide on tumblr for updates, sneak peaks, hint, clues, and other shenanigans that I find myself in. And, if you follow it, I’ll follow you back through my personal account, @musiclurv. I love any and all interaction from you guys, so come bother/pester me on there! I’d really love to start some dialogue. Send in some questions/comments/posts, and I’ll be sure to answer them. And if you just want to chat privately (which some of you seem to prefer), I’m totally down for that, too.


	20. XIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected arrival of an expected visitor.

Lexa jerked awake.

Thunder roared through the sky, echoing a soon forgotten gunshot and shaking the entire dorm building. The flash of lightning just before made everything outside seem to glow.

But neither of those things were what woke Lexa up.

No, because just before that flash of lightning, her dorm room door banged open, hitting the wall behind it before ricocheting almost closed again.

A shaky hand stopped it before it could fall shut.

Lexa sat bolt upright in her bed, trying to get her eyes to adjust well enough to see who had entered her room. Another flash of lightning illuminated her room enough for her to see the dirty blonde hair, the bent over form, and the blood dripping down onto her floor.

She didn’t need to see more before she launched out of bed and over to Clarke.

“Clarke!” she gasped, wanting to reach out but not knowing if she’d hurt her worse than she already was. Clarke looked up at her, smiling through her cringe.

She opened her mouth slowly, her voice barely more than a gasp as she said, “No doctor. Don’t—“ Before she could say more, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her body sagged forward. Lexa caught her just before she hit the floor.

Clarke’s unexpected dead weight in her arms forced Lexa to the floor herself, and she cushioned Clarke’s fall with her own body. Clarke’s head rested against Lexa’s chest, Lexa’s arms wound tightly across Clarke’s torso.

Lexa grit her teeth, her instinct to protect flaring into high gear. Looking down the hall quickly, she made sure no one was following Clarke before she managed to pull her further into the room. She kicked the door shut, reaching up to lock it to at least slow anyone down that may have been following Clarke.

“What the fuck have you gotten yourself into now, Clarke?” she mumbled to the silent room. Clarke’s breathing was labored as Lexa wiggled out from under her, letting her head rest on the floor for just a moment while she got a pillow for her. She’d get her up on the bed later. But first she needed to see if she could figure out the extent of the damage.

And, damn it, while she was about to graduate with a degree in physical therapy, she sure as hell didn’t know how to fix or even diagnose someone as banged up as Clarke was.

Her floor was starting to pool with the blood sliding off Clarke’s stomach. She pulled up Clarke’s shirt, the material sticking to Clarke’s skin, and saw the source of the blood - a long, seemingly shallow gash to Clarke’s abdomen.

Clarke winced subconsciously as Lexa prodded at the flesh, hoping to see just how deep it went.

She was so not certified to be handling this.

As Lexa touched Clarke’s shoulder distractedly, trying to console her even though she wasn’t conscious, Clarke’s eyes jerked open and a shout fell from her lips.

Lexa startled away, tearing her hands off of Clarke to only hover them over her seconds later. Clarke’s shoulder looked like it was possibly dislocated, and, by the torn material of her shirt, there was probably another gash waiting to be found there as well.

Lexa swore under her breath and stood up, her legs only shaking slightly. She dashed to her bedside table, swiping up her phone and dialing the only number she could think of.

“This had better be good, Woods,” Raven grumbled in greeting.

“Get over here. Now.” Lexa didn’t wait for a response before hanging up. She knew Raven would listen.

Lexa fell to her knees beside Clarke again, grabbing her first aid kit on the way, and tried to think of what to do while she waited for Raven to show up. She didn’t want to move Clarke for fear of hurting her worse. But she didn’t want to just leave everything to fester while she waited. She was more capable than that.

With a deciding nod, Lexa grabbed the scissors out of the kit and cut Clarke’s shirt open to reveal her bruised and bloody torso. _Shit_.

There was so much blood that she couldn’t tell where any of the cuts actually were. They wouldn’t be able to do anything until they figured out what was wrong.

Lexa grabbed a cleaning wipe out of the kit, hoping to at least assess some of the damage while she waited for Raven to arrive. 

* * *

 

The banging on her door startled Lexa out of her focused cleaning of Clarke’s abdomen. She had just started trying to get closer to the gash across her stomach when the first knock sounded, the doorknob shaking as someone tried to force their way in.

“Damn it, Woods. Open the door!” Raven shouted through the door, banging on it again angrily.

Lexa jumped to her feet, jerking the door open and pulling Raven inside in the same instant. She looked down the hall again to make sure no one else was out there before closing her door and locking it again.

“This had better be fucking good, Woods. I don’t get out of bed at three in the fucking morning for jus—“ Raven stopped abruptly, turning around to see Clarke lying on the floor, discarded wipes stained red surrounding her. “What happened?” Raven asked, her shock falling into calm professionalism within seconds.

And that was why Lexa had called her. While Raven could be a pest and overly excitable, she was also the best at what she did. She knew her stuff, and she knew when to knock off the jokes and take care of business. Lexa wouldn’t have trusted anyone else with this.

“I don’t know. She showed up like this about twenty minutes ago.”

“Twenty minutes?” Raven asked, feeling Clarkes neck for a pulse. “Damn. She’s weak.”

Lexa nodded. “I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to move her in case—“

“In case there were other injuries you couldn’t see. Yeah, Lex. You did good. But we need to get her off the floor. Get a sheet,” Raven directed, her hands moving over Clarke’s prone form like she had had to do this hundreds of times before.

Which was a distinct possibility as Raven had volunteered with the fire department back home for years. 

Lexa ran to her bed, pulling the sheet off of it and bringing it back over to Raven.

“Alright, we need to get the sheet under her as carefully as we can. Then we’re going to lift her with the sheet as tight as possible to dissuade as much movement as we can. Do you think you can help me with that?” Raven looked up at Lexa steadily, assessing Lexa’s own state of mind. Lexa nodded firmly, helping Raven maneuver the sheet under Clarke.

They each grabbed one end of the sheet, bracing their legs to support Clarke’s weight between them. “Ready?” Raven asked. At Lexa’s nod, she counted off. “Okay, one, two...”

On three they lifted, using the sheet like a stretcher as best they could. They got Clarke to Lexa’s bed, lowering her down gently.

Clarke moaned, trying to roll away from them until her shoulder hit the mattress and she shouted out in pain again. Lexa wiped Clarke’s hair from her forehead, trying to sooth her down. Sweat beaded there, making the hair cling to her skin.

“Let’s take care of that first. I’m going to need you to hold her down, okay?” Raven looked up at Lexa, waiting for her affirmation before she took Clarke’s left arm into her hands gently. “The quicker we do this the—“

A pop echoed through the room followed quickly by another shout from Clarke. Raven rested Clarke’s arm back on the bed gingerly, making sure not to jostle it too much. “We’re going to need a sling for that once we’re finished.”

Lexa nodded again, watching Clarke closely as her face relaxed from the grimace of pain she had been sporting to a furrow of her brow. Hopefully she’d stay asleep for the rest of what they had to do, too. “What’s next?”

* * *

 

More than an hour later, Clarke was cleaned, bandaged and changed into a pair of Lexa’s sweats and a loose t-shirt.

Raven sat back in Lexa’s desk chair, wiping some sweat from her own forehead, as Lexa went about cleaning up the wipes, gauze and other excess supplies. Raven watched her as Lexa wound up some of the thread.

“You have an extensive first aid kit,” Raven commented.

“I have extremely clumsy friends,” Lexa said dryly. She looked back at Clarke, worried that she still had yet to wake back up. “How long—“

“Her body is recovering. She’s exhausted. I don’t know what happened, but it did a number on her. She’s lucky she got here in one piece.” Raven stood and walked over to Clarke, checking her temperature with the back of her hand. “Do you want me to stay to keep an eye on her?”

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Lexa knew it sounded like a challenge, as if she was questioning Raven’s skill and knowledge. But this was Clarke and she needed to know she was going to be okay.

Raven’s brow furrowed as she thought it over, her lower lip pulled between her teeth. “I’m not a doctor. But she should make it through the rest of the night. If she doesn’t wake up within the next few hours, call me. We’ll have to take her to the hospital.”

“She said no doctors. And I don’t even know what happened. What would I tell them?” Lexa fell into the chair she had placed beside her bed, her fingers itching to reach out to hold Clarke’s hand. The bandages wrapped around her hand and the make-shift sling on her other arm were the harsh reminder that she needed to keep her hands to herself.

Raven moved away from Clarke, resting her hand on Lexa’s shoulder. “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. For now, keep an eye on her. Let me know if anything changes.”

Lexa nodded silently, letting Raven leave without letting her eyes stray from Clarke.

She leaned on the bed, resting her forearms beside Clarke’s still form, and searched for any part of Clarke that didn’t seem to be bruised, bandaged or stitched. She found a small patch of skin on her right forearm and traced the area lightly with her finger.

“You scared the shit out of me, you know?” Lexa asked, her voice seeming even louder in the quiet room, Clarke laying motionless only inches from her. But they say that people that are unconscious can still hear those around them. So maybe Clarke was listening. “Showing up at three in the morning looking like you decided to take a trip down a garbage disposal. Where’d you get a shit idea like that?”

She stared at Clarke, begging silently for any sign that she was listening. Any sign that she was going to be okay. Her chest slowly rising and falling with each breath was Lexa’s only consolation.

“You know you’re going to be explaining this one, right? None of that mystery shit you spew out all the time. I want a real, honest to god answer when you wake up.” She traced her finger over that one patch of skin again. “Well, maybe after you get some more rest and a shower. But then you’re talking. Got it, Griffin?”

Lexa scoffed out a laugh. “You’re probably enjoying this in there, aren’t you? Now I can ask all the questions that I want, and you don’t even have to pretend to come up with some sort of answer. You can just stay quiet and let the questions linger like you like to.”

She stopped talking abruptly when she thought she saw Clarke’s finger twitch. She was sure of it, even. But the more she watched it, the less likely the movement seemed. Clarke was just as still as she had been before.

“Okay,” Lexa said on a sigh. She rubbed her hand down her face, trying to wipe some of the exhaustion from her features. “Okay. Real talk. Just...” She took a deep, shaky breath. “Just be okay, alright? I need you to be okay. You can’t just come storming into my life and then go out in whatever blaze of glory you think you just experienced. You stumbled back to _my_ room. Not your freaky tower or wherever it is you decide to sleep every night. So you can’t leave this on me. I can’t have a dead girl in my bed, got it?”

She stood and leaned over Clarke, pressing a barely there kiss to her forehead and then rubbing the spot softly with her thumb. “I think I may be really starting to feel something for you, Clarke Griffin. And if you crap out on me before I have time to figure that out, I’m going to be so pissed at you. I’ll come find you wherever you go and drag your ass back here kicking and screaming.”

Sitting back down, Lexa got as comfortable as her little chair would allow, keeping her hand close to Clarke’s, just in case.

And then she resigned herself to waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Clarke clearly got into some kinda trouble somehow. Did she flip her bike? Did she get into some fisticuffs with someone at a bar? Did she just run into a wall really awkwardly?? 
> 
> In all seriousness, I think I need to reiterate this to all of my readers, and I need you to trust me when I say this: I am not going to go and kill either of our girls in this. Both Lexa and Clarke will live. I won’t hurt you all like that. I won’t hurt myself like that. No matter what it seems like in this, I promise they will both be alive at the end. Promise. 
> 
> Also, on a lighter note, I put up a call for artists on the @starkeepers tumblr blog! I know it’s a long shot, but if any of you are artists and want to do some work based on this fic, or even do some as chapter art for me, hit me up! If you’re up for doing chapter art, I’ll even give you a few chapters ahead of everyone else so you can come up with some art for it! So many exclamation points!
> 
> As always, your comments/requests/questions/theories/kudos are always loved and appreciated. To all the new readers, and to the old, I’m so glad you’re reading this. You can follow along with the blog, too @starkeepersguide. And, you can follow my personal blog, @musiclurv, if you’d like. Come talk to me! I promise I’m nice. 
> 
> Enjoy the wait to find out what the heck happened! Suffer with Lexa haha


	21. XX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waiting, watching, and checking.

Lexa hated waiting. You could ask anyone that knew her, and they’d say the same. Her mother used to call her the most impatient child she had ever met. And, while now she would say that Lexa was at least a little more patient, that didn’t get rid of the fact that Lexa _hated_ every second that she had to wait.

Even more so now that every second that went by could mean that Clarke wasn’t going to wake up on her own. She kept looking over to her phone, wondering if she should just go ahead and call an ambulance. The rational side of her was screaming at her to call them and get Clarke more professional help.

The part of her that knew Clarke knew well enough that Clarke wouldn’t want that unless it was absolutely necessary. And, like she had told Raven, what would she even tell the EMT once they got to the dorm? Not to mention, if— _when_ Clarke woke up, she’d be even less likely to tell them anything concrete about what happened. Lexa would be lucky if Clarke would even tell _her_ what had happened. And then the cops would more than likely get involved and...

Lexa rubbed at her brow, grumbling under her breath about the shit situation she was in. She looked back up at Clarke, silently begging that she’d wake up and smile that dopey smile of hers and make everything better.

But Clarke didn’t, and Lexa had to keep waiting.

* * *

 

Three hours later, Lexa found herself sitting in the same (notably uncomfortable) chair beside her bed, watching over Clarke hopefully. She debated trying to get some more sleep, but the thought of Clarke waking up or not waking up without Lexa knowing right away was far worse than the thought of only getting a couple hours of sleep.

She was debating calling Raven again to see if she should go ahead and call an ambulance. She could deal with Clarke’s grumpiness over the fact later, _after_ Clarke was better.

Just as she was about to get out of her seat to get her phone off her desk, she heard something. She swore she heard something. Something small but—

Again.

She stood abruptly, leaning over Clarke and cradling her face gently. And... Yes, that was definitely a very quiet whimper.

She rubbed her thumb gingerly along Clarke’s cheek, trying to coax her eyes open. “Come on, Clarke. Come back to me. I need you to wake up, alright? Can you do that?”

Clarke’s brow furrowed, and her lips fell into a grimace.

“That’s it, Clarke. Wake up.” Lexa sat softly on the side of the bed, still leaning over Clarke to look down at her face. She brushed her thumb against the furrow between Clarke’s brow. “Let me so those beautiful eyes, yeah?”

Clarke’s lashes fluttered, and then her eyes were open. She blinked several times, trying to focus her vision. “Lex?” she finally croaked out, her voice cracking on the single syllable.

Lexa reached over to her desk, picking up a cup of water with a straw that she had placed there just in case Clarke would need it. “Here. Drink.” She tilted the straw toward Clarke’s mouth, watching her expectantly until Clarke sipped some down.

“Thanks,” Clarke said, voice more gravely than usual.

Lexa nodded and put the cup back on her desk before sitting back on the side of her bed. “How are you feeling?” she asked, brushing stray hairs off of Clarke’s forehead.

“Like I was just run over by a truck.” Clarke tried to grin, but cringed at the pull against her busted lip.

Lexa rolled her eyes, moving her thumb to caress just under Clarke’s puffy lower lip. She just couldn’t seem to stop touching her - feeling her warm and alive under her hands. “ _Were_ you run over by a truck?”

Clarke coughed out a laugh, moving to raise her hand up to touch Lexa’s but jerking it back into place quickly. “What happened to my arm?”

“Apparently you dislocated your shoulder. Among other things. You’re lucky you didn’t break anything.”

“You should see the other guy,” Clarke said, a playful glint in her eyes.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” Lexa asked, tired of not knowing and tired of Clarke’s evasiveness. If she was going to show up at Lexa’s door instead of at an emergency department, then she could at least afford her that much.

Clarke sighed shakily and closed her eyes. “Can it wait until later?”

“Clarke, you have to—“

“Later. I promise,” Clarke said, cutting off Lexa’s demand. Her fingers twitched in her sling as if she wanted to reach out for Lexa. “Rest with me?”

“I’m not the one that got the shit beat out of her,” Lexa said, soundly only slightly grumpy. Which she had every right to be, damn it. Because Clarke was laying in her bed, banged up and barely moving, and she wanted to know _why_.

Clarke chuckled. “No. But you’re the one that’s been awake since I got here.”

“How do you know I didn’t sleep?”

Clarke’s eyes slit open, landing on Lexa pointedly.

“Okay. Fine. I didn’t sleep,” Lexa finally conceded. “But you can’t blame me for that.”

“No, I can’t.” Clarke closed her eyes again and patted the bed next to her right hand, her fingers barely lifting off the mattress. “Lay with me. We could both use some more sleep.”

“I’ll hurt you.”

Clarke patted the same spot again. “No more than I already am. There’s plenty of room.”

“It’s a twin bed,” Lexa said flatly. Clarke was insane if she thought Lexa was going to crawl up there with her when she was in the state she was in.

“Could be smaller,” Clarke countered, her eyes still closed but the hint of a smile playing at her lips.

“I’m not getting in that bed with you, Clarke,” Lexa said with finality. She sat back in her seat, back straight and arms crossed.

Clarke’s lower lip jutted out just slightly into a pout. “But it’d help me feel better.”

“Liar.”

“How do you know?”

“Because it makes absolutely no sense.”

“Since when has anything about me made sense?” Clarke countered teasingly. And Lexa had to give her that point. Because nothing about Clarke made any sense.

Lexa sighed and Clarke looked at her, smirking triumphantly, and only cringed slightly when her lip pulled. Lexa pushed out of her seat, climbing over Clarke as gently as she could to lay between her and the wall beside the bed. “Shut up,” she grumbled as she settled in, laying on her side so she was looking at Clarke.

“I didn’t even say anything,” Clarke said, her tone saying more than enough about how smug she was feeling. She moved her hand just slightly to rub her fingers against Lexa’s. “Sleep, Lex.”

“I should be the one telling you that,” Lexa mumbled, her eyes already feeling heavier without the fear of Clarke not waking up hanging over her head.

“And yet...” Clarke said, her own voice taking on a timbre that told Lexa she was close to sleep as well.

So Lexa slept, content with knowing that Clarke was okay and sleeping next to her.

* * *

 

The buzzing of her phone followed by a soft knock on the door woke Lexa up again. She leaned up on her elbow, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes and reorient herself with her surroundings. The fingers of Clarke’s good hand clung to the hem of Lexa’s shirt, keeping her somewhat anchored to the bed.

Lexa smiled softly, endeared and melting just a bit at the sight, and untangled Clarke’s weak hold from her shirt. She climbed over Clarke’s body as smoothly as possible, trying her best to not wake Clarke from her much needed sleep.

Once she was off the bed, she grabbed her phone and saw multiple missed called and texts from Raven waiting for her. And a few from Anya thrown in for good measure. Which could only mean...

**Reyes (10:32 AM) : Open your damn door, Woods.**

Lexa shook her head at her most recent text and walked to her door, unlocking it and allowing Raven to push her way in.

“It’s about time.” She looked at Clarke, still asleep on the bed. “How is she?”

“She woke up about an hour ago for maybe fifteen minutes.” Lexa walked back over to the bed, running her hand across Clarke’s forehead to check for a fever. “I think she’s doing well. Or, as well as she can be, anyway.”

Raven nodded, coming to stand beside Lexa. “Do you want me to check her over?”

“Please,” Lexa agreed, stepping back to retake her seat in her chair by the bed. Where she should have been all night rather than allowing herself to fall asleep next to Clarke. It was stupid of her. Anything could have happened. She could have rolled over and hurt Clarke worse. Or Clarke could have...

She didn’t want to finish the thought.

“I usually make a girl take me out for dinner before I let her feel me up.”

Raven, for her part, barely even batted an eye at Clarke’s sleepy comment. “Shut up and let me finish.”

“And she’s demanding. You’re a top, aren’t you? I don’t know how that’ll work out between us. Lex, are you just going to let her—“

“Yes. Now shut up and let her finish,” Lexa said, cutting Clarke off and ignoring the heat she could feel rising up her neck. Clarke was more than likely just delirious from the pain or still groggy from sleep or something.

“You heard your girl. Shut up and let me finish,” Raven said, pressing down against Clarke’s abdomen to examine the stitching she had done just hours before. “Well, there doesn’t seem to be much more bleeding, so that’s good. A little blood isn’t anything to worry about, but keep an eye on it.” She moved to check Clarke’s arm and shoulder, and Clarke looked away from her, settling her eyes on Lexa instead.

She hissed as Raven started removing the gauze from the cuts on her shoulder. “Careful,” she chastised.

“Be nice to me. I put you back together, monster,” Raven said distractedly as she examined Clarke’s shoulder. She grabbed a cleansing wipe out of Lexa’s first aid kit (that she’d have to restock soon at the rate Clarke was going through it) and set to cleaning Clarke’s wound.

“Monster?” Clarke questioned.

“Just call me Frankenstein.” Raven taped another bandage down to cover the cuts, making sure not to press too hard.

Clarke grinned up at her. “What’s your diagnosis, Doc?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Ouch,” Clarke said with a dramatic cringe. “You wound me.”

“Add it to the list. I’ll check it out later,” Raven said dryly. She continued on, going over each of the injuries they had cleaned up hours earlier to check how they were looking, reapplying bandages where needed. “Sit up.”

Clarke moved to do just that, but fell back down on the bed with a pained gasp.

“Like I said: Idiot,” Raven said with a roll of her eyes. “I meant with help. You’re going to tear that gash open again if you’re not careful.”

“You didn’t say that,” Clarke said with a pout.

Lexa shook her head and stood from her chair, pushing Raven out of the way. She leaned over Clarke and rested her hands by her sides. “Put your arm around me.”

“I can sit up by myse—“

“Put your arm around me, Clarke,” Lexa demanded. Once Clarke complied, though slowly and not without a defiant glare, Lexa grabbed Clarke’s sides as carefully as she could and pulled her up into a sitting position. Clarke’s weight leaned against her as she sat, not strong enough to hold herself up.

“Thank you,” Raven said, sitting behind Clarke and pulling her shirt up so she could look over her back and the multitude of cuts there. “See, Clarke? Rationality. You should try it some time.”

“And you should try not being a—“

“Clarke,” Lexa cut her off again.

“But—“

“No.” Lexa moved so she could sit halfway on the bed, Clarke still resting against her. “She’s helping you. So shut up and let her help.”

“I’m fine,” Clarke argued.

“She says as she needs someone to help her sit up,” Raven mumbled under her breath, hands moving methodically down Clarke’s back.

Clarke turned her head as far as she could to glare over her shoulder at Raven.

Raven grinned smugly, not taking her eyes off her task.

“Ass,” Clarke bit out.

“Ass that saved your ass,” Raven countered. She lowered Clarke’s shirt back down and moved off the bed, allowing Lexa to lower Clarke back down.

“But still an ass,” Clarke said once she was settled, her eyes already starting to droop again.

Raven grinned down at her, back to her more playful self. “And a damn cute one at that.”

“You’re both ridiculous,” Lexa said, rolling her eyes at the two. “Do I need to take her to the hospital?” she asked, back to being serious in the blink of an eye.

“No. I said no doctors. You heard me when I said that, right? I don’t want any—“

“Raven?” Lexa asked, again cutting Clarke off. She’d take Clarke to the hospital if she felt it was the best course of action, even if she had to drag her there kicking and screaming. Clarke could pout about it all she wanted. But for now, Lexa was in charge.

Raven shook her head. “I don’t think so. She seems to be recovering well so far. Just keep an eye on her and make sure nothing gets infected. And ice that shoulder.”

“Anything’s else?” Lexa asked, taking note to check Clarke’s wounds again in a few hours.

Raven grinned and looked down at the glaring (and adorably pouty) Clarke. “Yeah. She desperately needs a shower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She liiiives! 
> 
> But, of course she does. Because it’s Clarke, and Clarke has to live. No matter what. Right? Now, if we could just figure out what exactly she is...
> 
> Some answers are coming up next chapter! And, there were a couple of hints in this one, so I hope you all caught them. Just wait until next chapter, though. That’s a biggie. 
> 
> As always, your questions/comments/kudos are loved so, so much. Also, I loved all of y’all’s reactions to Lexa talking to unconscious Clarke. I’m glad I’m not the only one that was touched by that. You can find me on tumblr @musiclurv, and you can follow the blog for this fic @starkeepersguide.
> 
> ‘Til next time!


	22. XXI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clothes, explanations, and arguments.

“Why is it always my damn shoulder. Why can’t we mix it up one time around and bang up a knee?” Clarke grumbled to herself, trying and failing to pull a shirt over her head.

_A flash of torn flesh, claw marks down a shoulder blade. A firm, angry glare directed at her._

Lexa shook off the thought. She sat at her desk, trying to focus on her textbook. Because even if Clarke had gotten hurt, Lexa still had a final to pass (though she knew she was lying to herself when she said she’d actually get any studying finished before she made sure Clarke was one hundred percent okay and out of danger... which had yet to be proven). She glanced over her shoulder to see Clarke throw the shirt back down onto the bed, giving up on it to instead storm over to Lexa’s closet to pick out something else.

In just her bra and jeans.

Because life liked to play cruel jokes on Lexa.

And sure, Lexa had helped Clarke get into the shower the previous day. But Lexa had been in a pure mindset of helping and not wanting. Now she was conflicted.

Her eyes scanned down Clarke’s back, taking in every new scrape and cut, every new bruise, and the multitude of scars that littered her skin. Each one with a story to tell. And each one making Lexa’s urge to reach out and clasp Clarke to her, protecting her from whatever had caused them, even stronger.

But she held back.

Clarke finally settled on one of Lexa’s flannels, pulling it on her good arm with a triumphant “Ha!” followed quickly by a little pout at not being able to get it on her left arm that was still in the sling. Instead, she left it hanging off her shoulder, the shirt only slightly covering the rest of her torso from view.

Lexa quickly spun back around in her seat, hoping Clarke hadn’t caught her staring.

“I’m not going to break, Lexa,” Clarke said, walking over to the bed and sitting down gingerly. Which wasn’t the only reason Lexa was staring, but she’d take the out.

Lexa looked pointedly at the angry red gash across Clarke’s stomach, the stitches Raven had painstakingly sewn in sticking out against her pale skin.

“Okay, fair point,” Clarke conceded. “But I won’t break just walking around your room. You don’t have to keep tabs on me.”

“You can’t even get a shirt on,” Lexa said. She stood and walked over to Clarke, stopping in front of her and fingering the collar of her flannel. “Let me help you with this.”

“I’m pretty comfortable the way I am, actually,” Clarke grinned up at her. She rested her good hand on Lexa’s side, her fingers squeezing enticingly.

Lexa rolled her eyes. “You may be comfortable, but you’re also distracting.” She pulled her flannel off Clarke’s shoulders.

“I’m a distraction?” Clarke asked, wincing when Lexa helped her get her sling off.

“Hold your arm steady,” Lexa instructed with a swat to Clarke’s right hand so she could get the shirt all the way off. Clarke held her left elbow in her hand, supporting it while Lexa maneuvered the sleeve up her arm and onto her left shoulder. “Here.” She held the shirt out for Clarke to put her right arm through.

“Happy now?” Clarke asked once the shirt was on, though still unbuttoned.

Lexa knelt down in front of Clarke, starting at the bottom of the shirt and working her way up to secure it shut. “Almost.”

“You know,” Clarke started with a teasing lilt to her voice, “most girls would be happier with it unbuttoned rather than buttoned.”

“I’m not most girls,” Lexa said plainly. She grabbed Clarke’s sling off the bed and helped her get it back on.

Clarke chuckled. “Don’t I know it.”

“And neither are you.”

Clarke’s smile faltered just slightly at Lexa’s tone. She knew what was coming. In all honesty, she was lucky that Lexa had waited as long as she had to start the questioning. But Lexa was tired of waiting, and she deserved at least some sort of explanation for Clarke’s bloody arrival the night before.

Lexa sat back on her heels, watching Clarke quietly as she gathered her thoughts. She had so many questions, and she wasn’t sure where exactly to begin. The glaringly obvious question may make Clarke clam up. But then again, Clarke may surprise her by actually answering a damn question with a straight forward response.

“What happened to you?” Lexa finally settled on. Better to yank the bandaid off, as the saying went.

Clarke sighed, her shoulders drooping in resignation. She wasn’t surprised by the question. Not in the least. They had been tiptoeing around it ever since Clarke was able to stay awake for longer than ten minutes. But Lexa could tell she had been hoping to put it off longer if she could.

“It’s a long story,” Clarke said.

“You were only gone four and a half hours.”

“You were counting?” Clarke asked teasingly.

Lexa stared at her unamused. She knew what Clarke was trying to do. Distraction and avoidance where her signature moves. But Lexa wasn’t going to have any of it. Not when Clarke had showed up looking like she had gone through a meat grinder.

“I—“ Clarke started, but then cut herself off, lips twisted in thought as she tried to figure out whatever she was about to say. “What I do sometimes comes with some risk.”

“Are you going to finally tell me what it is that you do?”

Clarke grinned at her apologetically. “Not quite. But I will tell you that there are some people out there that really don’t want us to finish what we need to.”

“Us?”

“My family... and the others,” Clarke supplied hesitantly.

“And these people, whoever they are, come after you?” Lexa surmised. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where Clarke was headed with her explanation.

Clarke nodded. “Sometimes. When they can find us, anyway. We’re usually really good at what we do. But sometimes, they catch on. They find us. They try to stop us whatever the cost.”

“Why don’t you just stop?” Lexa asked. If someone was willing to go to the lengths of hunting people down and apparently beating them to a pulp, she couldn’t imagine anything worth that. Especially not just a job. Whatever Clarke was up to couldn’t be _that_ important.

“We can’t just stop,” Clarke said, shaking her head, her brow furrowed in frustration. “What we do is important. It’s a matter of life and death. We can’t just let everyone down.”

“Then let someone else do it!” Lexa said, pushing up to her feet angrily. She flung her hand out, motioning toward the door. “You showed up here, bloody and barely able to stay on your feet long enough for me to catch you. What if you couldn’t get here in time? What if I wasn’t here? I don’t even want to imagine how you were able to drive that bike of yours all the way back here from who knows where. What if you had crashed? You could have died, Clarke. Let someone else take over whatever it is. Hand it over to the police if you have to.”

Clarke shook her head again. “I can’t just hand it over, Lex. It’s part of who I am.”

Lexa stormed away from Clarke, fuming at her refusal. Part of who she was. Lexa scoffed. It’s a job, is what it was. A job that almost got her killed.

Lexa, spine stiff and jaw set, crossed her arms and refused to look back at Clarke. She knew that if she did, one of two things would happen, and she had to keep a cool head. Well, as cool as possible, anyway. “What happened?” she asked quietly.

“I was finished, actually. And I was headed back here to see you, like you asked. But, before I could even get on my bike, he shot at me,” Clarke explained.

“Someone shot at you?” Lexa asked, jaw clenching even harder. A flare of pain sparked up in her abdomen for just a second before fading away again. Lexa ignored it.

Clarke hummed her affirmation. “I jumped back from my bike to avoid the shot, and that’s when he attacked. I can hold my own well enough, but he caught me by surprise. Threw my shoulder out of place. Once I hit the ground, he was all over me. I barely had time to get my feet under him so I could kick him off again. Everything else happened so fast...” Clarke trailed off, trying to remember details. “Long story short, he ended up with his knife lodged somewhere he never wanted it to be.”

Lexa breathed shakily, trying to take all of that in. Clarke was, if her understanding was correct, a trained fighter that was willing to kill for her cause. Her soft Clarke, the same girl whose curves she liked to run her hands down as they were curled into each other, was someone who could take down a grown man and live to talk about it.

“And then I climbed on my bike and headed to the one place I knew I’d be taken care of,” Clarke concluded, her voice carrying a weird mix of trepidation and pride.

“You drove here. With a dislocated shoulder. How did you even manage that?” Lexa turned to look at Clarke, impressed and worried and scared and so many different emotions all at once.

“Very carefully,” Clarke said with a little laugh.

Lexa sighed, coming to sit down beside Clarke. “Is he—“

“Dead?” Clarke finished. She shrugged her shoulder. “Dunno. Didn’t stick around long enough to find out. If he’s not, it’s at least going to be a while before he’s up and moving again.”

“And he’s going to be pissed.”

“Maybe.” She paused and thought about it for a second, laughing at whatever came to mind. “Okay, definitely.”

Lexa scowled. “It’s not funny, Clarke.”

“No. I mean, the situation isn’t. But his face when I kicked him off of me was. And when they find out what I did, if they haven’t already, they’re going to be even angrier than before.”

“That’s not reassuring,” Lexa said lowly. Because the thought of more people coming after Clarke, maybe having already followed Clarke back to her dorm, was terrifying. “Who are ‘they’?”

“This big shot organization’s cronies. Well, they think they’re big shot. In all honesty, they’re just greedy bastards that have too much time on their hands,” Clarke explained.

Again, she was able to avoid actually answering the question. No concrete names or titles or anything. Just abstract ideas. Lexa tried to hold back her scowl. “Does this organization have a name?”

“Of course they do.” Not that Clarke would provide it, apparently.

Lexa sighed. “Why won’t you tell me?”

“You don’t need to be involved in this,” Clarke said, her expression hardening and tone sharpening. Lexa looked over at her, surprised by the change. Clarke was always soft, almost playful. But this Clarke in front of her... She was a fighter.

“What if I want to be?” Lexa challenged. She could be a fighter, too. If Clarke wanted to play tough, then Lexa would throw it right back at her.

Clarke shook her head. “No. And it’s not up for discussion. Not right now.”

“Why not?” Lexa yelled, jumping to her feet again. “You came to _me_ for help, Clarke. And you dragged me into whatever is going on long before that.”

“It’s too dangerous.” Clarke’s lips dropped into a scowl of her own, her eyes darting to the side. “I shouldn’t have gotten you involved to begin with. It was stupid. I was too impatient.”

“But you did. And now I am. So let me help you,” Lexa argued. She’d be damned if she let Clarke brush her aside like that.

“No. You are no longer to be involved in any of this, Lexa,” Clarke said firmly. She stood from the bed, facing off against Lexa. And even though Lexa was a little taller, she felt like Clarke was towering over her.

“You can’t tell me what to do.” Lexa glared at her, daring her to challenge that.

Clarke shook her head, her eyes flashing with some emotion that Lexa didn’t care to analyze. “No, I can’t. But I can control your involvement.”

Lexa’s jaw clenched. The challenge was there. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she bit out through her teeth.

“I will disappear, Lexa. Don’t test me.”

The tension was so thick, she could have cut it with a knife. What Clarke was threatening... while it hurt to even think about, Lexa knew she’d never go through with it. She’d never just leave her like that. Not after having dragged her kicking and screaming into whatever it was that was between them. _Right?_

“You wouldn’t dare,” Lexa shot back. Because Clarke _wouldn’t_.

The muscle in Clarke’s jaw twitched, her eyes darting back and forth between Lexa’s, searching for something - almost begging her to back down. Finally, her shoulders sagged, and all the fight seemed to drain from her.

“I don’t want to, Lex. But I will if I have to,” she said resignedly. “You’d be safer if I did.”

“Let me help you,” Lexa said again, almost pleadingly. She couldn’t see Clarke hurt like that again. She couldn’t just sit by, waiting for Clarke to show up hurt or worse. She just couldn’t. Not without doing _something_ to help.

Clarke shook her head sadly. “I can’t. It’s not your time yet.”

Lexa searched Clarke’s eyes, hoping for some sign that she wasn’t about to do what Lexa thought. Any sign that she would give in and let Lexa help. “Clarke, please.”

“I came here too soon,” Clarke said. Her voice shook, betraying her pain. She leaned forward, cupping Lexa’s jaw with her good hand, and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Goodbye, Lexa.”

Lexa stood frozen as Clarke pulled back and let her hand slide away. Clarke stepped back, smiling sadly as she walked away. Again.

“Clarke, wait—“ she called out, turning toward the door to try to stop her from leaving.

The door clicked shut, leaving Lexa in the room alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It couldn’t all be roses and happiness now, could it? But guys, really. Trust me. It’s about to get good. Did you catch all those hints? Clues? Are you as clueless as Lexa still? Because SO MANY hints in this one. So many. 
> 
> Also, I want to thank everyone for the well wishes a few weeks back for my surgery and recovery. It’s all going really well, and I’ll be back in action again soon. So thanks for sticking with me! As we draw closer to the end of this fic, I’m going to be starting to write the sequel. So I’m really excited for what’s coming up. I hope y’all will continue to stick around for the ride. 
> 
> The tumblr for this fic is @starkeepersguide. I post hints, sneak peaks, updates, random posts that relate, and I’d love to talk to y’all on there! Submit questions, theories or anything you want to me, and I’ll be sure to answer. 
> 
> Your comments/questions/requests/kudos are so incredibly appreciated. I don’t think you even know how much I love every single one I receive. You can also find me on tumblr @musiclurv if you would like. 
> 
> Again, stick with me, my friends! The ride’s about to get a little more bumpy.


	23. XXII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Workouts, truths, and bets.

She was pissed. Actually, she was beyond pissed. She was pissed and hurt and frustrated and feeling like she wanted to punch someone.

Specifically someone who shot at Clarke, but that was neither here nor there because she had no fucking clue who did that.

(She would have settled for smacking a certain blonde for leaving her, but again, she found herself lacking said person.)

Instead, Lexa hit the gym. The punching bag didn’t stand a chance.

“You do know that the season is over, right?” Anya asked, leaning against the wall and watching Lexa beat on the defenseless bag.

Lexa huffed in a breath, ignoring Anya to instead continue getting her frustrations out on the bag. If Clarke thought she was too weak to help, too defenseless or innocent or whatever the fuck her reasoning was, Lexa would prove her wrong. Because she was anything but those things, and if Clarke ever showed her face again, Lexa would be ready to show her just that.

She was already practicing her speech - a heartfelt, prideful, verbal beatdown. (She had only actually gotten the first line down: _What the fuck?_ )

Anya walked around Lexa, moving to brace the bag for Lexa to continue hitting. “You should at least fight something that can hit back,” she said, holding strong against Lexa’s kick.

“You offering?” Lexa said between heavy breaths. She punched again, sweat dripping down her brow.

“Wouldn’t want to let those kickboxing lessons go to waste, would we?”

Lexa let her arms fall to her sides after her next punch, standing up to her full height. “Get changed, then. I don’t want you using your jeans as an excuse for losing this time.”

Anya scoffed. “As if. I could beat you in skinny jeans and high heals if I wanted to.”

“Our last match would prove otherwise,” Lexa said. She pulled her gloves off and grabbed her towel off the bench against the wall, using it to wipe the sweat from her face.

Anya glared at her. “I let you win.”

“So you’ve said.”

“Get ready to get your ass handed to you, Woods,” Anya warned with a scowl before storming off to the locker rooms to change.

Lexa sat on the bench, trying to cool down a little before Anya returned and gave her an actual workout. It would be good practice, she told herself. A good way to distract herself, at least. She wouldn’t have the chance to think about Clarke with Anya’s fists flying at her. Well, hopefully anyway.

“Now that’s a scowl,” Octavia said, plopping down on the bench next to Lexa.

“What are you doing here?” Lexa asked, glaring at the brunette.

Octavia shrugged. “Raven texted me. Said you and Anya were about to throw down, so I thought I’d come for the show.”

“Did you run here?”

“Nope. I was actually headed back to the dorms. I just happened to get Raven’s text as I was walking by here,” Octavia explained. She leaned back against the wall, watching the other people in the gym silently for a moment. “What has you looking for a fight?”

“Nothing,” Lexa said shortly, pushing off of the bench to stand. She started stretching her arms, bouncing on the balls of her feet to try to get the tiredness out of her muscles.

Octavia hummed. “Raven told me about this weekend. Is Clarke okay?”

“Wouldn’t know.” Lexa turned from Octavia, walking over to the mat that she and Anya would take over for their fight.

Octavia followed her. “What do you mean you wouldn’t know? You were with her all weekend. And, knowing you, you still have her on bed rest.”

Lexa shook her head and stepped onto the mat. “She left.”

“Got tired of you fussing and decided to go home, huh?”

Lexa sat down, stretching out her legs. “She’s gone, Octavia.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” Lexa focused on her stretches, refusing to meet Octavia’s inevitably worried gaze. Because she didn’t want worry or pity or consoling. She wanted to beat the shit out of someone.

And that someone arrived on the mat not a minute later.

“Get your ass up,” Anya directed, already warmed up by the looks of it, and raring to go.

“In a hurry to lose?” Lexa taunted, looking up at Anya and not making a move to stand.

Anya scoffed. “As if.”

“Did I miss it?” Raven gasped out between breaths, running in and almost knocking Octavia down as she came to a stop. “Please tell me I didn’t miss it.”

Octavia shook her head. “Nope. I’m surprised you’re in such a rush to see your girlfriend get beat, though.”

“Excuse me. One, do you realize how hot she is when she’s like this?” Her eyes trailed down Anya’s body. “Two, my money’s on her. Lexa’s too distracted.”

“Lexa could beat her with an arm tied behind her back.”

“Fifty?”

“Make it sixty and I’m in.”

They shook on it and Lexa stood to her feet. “You’re both great friends.”

The two grinned cheekily at her. “Only the best for you,” Octavia teased.

Lexa rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She got into position, waiting for Anya to do the same. They stared each other down, waiting for the other to move first. Lexa sunk down, ready to brace for the impact of Hurricane Anya. She tilted her head, pulling a cocky smirk to her lips.

And that was all it took for Anya to attack.

* * *

 

“Drinks are on me,” Octavia said, taking the bills Raven handed her and waving them in the air. They all walked out of the gym together, Anya limping and Lexa gingerly holding her arm.

“Don’t rub it in,” Raven said with a scowl. She glared at her girlfriend. “You owe me sixty bucks.”

Anya shot a glare right back at her. “I’m not going to support your gambling habits.”

“You’re the one that lost it for me!” Raven argued.

Anya just continued to glare at her for a moment longer before looking at Lexa instead. “Are you going to tell us what had you so ready for a fight?”

Lexa’s jaw clenched, her gaze remaining determinedly ahead of them.

“Clarke left,” Octavia provided when it became obvious that Lexa wasn’t going to say anything.

Raven’s jaw dropped. “Wait, she left? She could barely move the last time I saw her!”

And Lexa really didn’t want to explain any of this to her friends. The fight was still too raw, and talking about it felt like rubbing salt into an open wound.

The other three were observant enough to realize she wasn’t willing to talk about it. They walked in silence, heading back toward the dorms.

“So...” Raven started hesitantly. “About those drinks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it was so short this time around! The pace is going to be picking up real soon, though. If that’s any consolation. And I’ll try to put updates up a little more often if I can. But I wanted to make sure y’all would get an update before I leave on my mini-vacation. 
> 
> Anyway, who wouldn’t love to watch Anya and Lexa in workout gear going at it? I mean, I’m with Raven on that one. Anyone else?
> 
> Don’t scratch your heads too much on this one in regards to clues. There weren’t any, really. Just a little interlude before shit starts hitting the fan. So take a breath and hold tight, my friends. 
> 
> You can find the tumblr for this story @starkeepersguide. And you can also leave comments/requests/questions/kudos below to receive all the love!!


	24. XXIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving on, calls, and celebrations.

Two months. It had been two months since Clarke walked out of Lexa’s life, and Lexa was really starting to think that it was for good.

She had since moved into an apartment with Octavia, settling into life after college decently well. Her new job as a physical therapy assistant was a nice change of pace. And Octavia seemed to still enjoy her job well enough to stick with it after graduation. “I’ll find a new job later. Bartending is working for me. The tips are fantastic,” she’d argue.

But it was going okay. And Lincoln was turning up more often than not now that he and Octavia were dating. (When he had showed up to help them move in, Octavia was a mess. The memory of her flirting still made Lexa cringe. But somehow Lincoln’s clumsiness and Octavia’s horrible flirting had turned into a date, which turned into another date, and now Lexa was hardly surprised when she got home from work to see Lincoln sitting on her couch with Octavia.)

Lexa continued going to the gym, still practiced, determined that she’d move on and try out for an NWSL team for the coming season. And she’d get a spot and play her ass off and the only way Clarke would see her again would be on national television as she helped the US win the next cup.

That was the plan, at least. (The addition of Clarke in that plan was completely accidental, and Lexa didn’t like to dwell on the fact that her name came up in her plans more often than not. Even if it was just out of spite.)

So she practiced. A lot. Octavia, along with Raven and Anya (who had moved in together after college to no one’s surprise) would join her and help out as much as they could with their own busy schedules. And Anya would gladly jump into the ring with Lexa to work off frustrations whenever she wanted.

Those kickboxing lessons had really paid off, it seemed.

And if Clarke ever did show her face again, Lexa was going to be ready.

She had basically given up on that hope, though. After the first month had yielded no sign of Clarke, Lexa had almost gone to the tower to see if Clarke was up in her office. She had talked herself out of it, though. When another two weeks had gone by, Lexa couldn’t fight off the urge any more, and she walked into town to see if she could find any sign of the blonde.

She couldn’t even find the tower.

So Lexa gave up. Clarke clearly didn’t want to be found, and every trace of her had disappeared when her scent finally faded from Lexa’s sheets.

It had been two months since Clarke had walked out of Lexa’s door, and Lexa was starting to realize that she might never walk back through it.

* * *

 

“Holy shit.”

Lexa stared at the phone in her hand, the screen still lit from the phone call she just finished with.

“Lexa. What’s the matter with you? I’ve been shouting for you for the past few minutes.” Octavia walked into their living room, freezing when she saw Lexa’s shock. “Lexa? Is everything alright?”

Lexa nodded, jaw dropped as she looked up at Octavia. “I got in.”

“What?” Octavia asked, stepping closer to hear Lexa’s mumbled words better.

“I got in,” Lexa repeated. She looked back down at her phone, locking it quickly and shoving it back in her pocket. “I got in, O.”

“In where, exactly?”

A cheek splitting grin spread across Lexa’s face. This was her shot. Sure, the season had already started, and she likely wouldn’t be played very often at all. But they had called her up. She was going to be playing soccer professionally. With players that she had been looking up to for years. She was— “The Thorns,” she finally explained. “I got called up.”

Octavia’s squeal of delight was probably heard throughout the entire apartment complex. “Oh my god!” she yelled, running over to Lexa and wrapping her in a hug. “You got in!”

“Hell yeah, I did!” Lexa cheered along, letting Octavia’s excitement fuel her own even more.

“Oh my god,” Octavia said, letting go of Lexa and stepping back abruptly. “I need to let the others know. We need to go out. We have to celebrate. This is _huge_ , Lex.”

Lexa laughed. “All right, all right. Go call them.”

Octavia spun on her heel, running back to her room to grab her phone without another word other than an excited laugh.

And while Lexa was excited, and she did want to celebrate with her friends, it was all less than what it could have been. Because someone was missing, and had been for three months, and the hole she’d left in Lexa’s life was still incredibly noticeable. Especially since she was right about Lexa getting on a team. And she had been right about Lexa’s team winning the championship. And every time that something happened that had even the slightest bit of a connection to Clarke, Lexa could only wish for her presence.

Because no matter how pissed Lexa was about her disappearing, she still wished Clarke was around - if only so she could yell at her for leaving.

But this - her getting onto a professional soccer team, even if she wouldn’t be joining them for another month - was something they’d celebrate. It was something Clarke would have been proud of. And Lexa was proud of it, too. She’d worked her ass off for the shot to play professionally. She just wished a certain blonde could have been there to celebrate the accomplishment with her.

* * *

 

The music was pounding, and sweat beaded on the back of Lexa’s neck as she danced with her friends. Her drink in one hand, she decided to let loose for the night, enjoying a night out that was meant to celebrate her and what she had done.

And maybe it took until her third drink to decide that, but that was neither here nor there.

Octavia shouted in joy, dancing alongside Lexa. Raven and Anya were dancing together a few feet away, and honestly, Lexa was enjoying herself. Even if partying wasn’t her thing generally. This time, she was going to have fun and forget about everything else going on in life because she deserved it.

“To Lexa!” Raven shouted, holding up her glass as she tugged Anya toward them. Octavia and Anya joined in, lifting their own glasses and echoing her. All of them took long drinks from their glasses, trying not to slosh their drinks while being bumped into by people around them.

Lexa lowered her glass and was disappointed to find that it was empty. “I’m going to get another one!” she shouted so the others would hear her over the music. Octavia nodded and waved her off, already joining in with Anya and Raven.

Leaning against the bar, Lexa got the bartender’s attention and signaled for another glass. He quickly prepared it and placed it down in front of her, waving off the cash she tried to hand over.

“Already paid for,” he said quickly, moving over to his next customer.

And that would have been fine, and Lexa would have accepted that one of her friends had decided to pay for her next drink. Except they were all cheap and would only pay for each other if they had a debt to settle, which none of them did.

“By who?” she called out, trying to get the bartender’s attention again.

He waved toward the corner of the bar, barely paying any attention to Lexa now that she’d gotten her drink.

Lexa grabbed her glass and mumbled a sarcastic, “Thanks,” before turning in the direction he had indicated.

Which is where she saw the last person she’d expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s a short one, I know! But I wanted to get something up for y’all, and I couldn’t get anything longer up right now. 
> 
> Also, I know that’s not how people get called up in soccer. And if it does happen, it’s incredibly rare. But for the sake of this story, let’s say that’s how it worked out for Lexa, okay?
> 
> Also, any guesses who Lexa saw??? Could it be our long lost Clarke?? Could she be back after months? Is it time now for Lexa to get involved?? What is happening???
> 
> Comments/requests/questions/theories/kudos are always loved. And, if you’d like to, you can follow this story’s tumblr @starkeepersguide or my own tumblr @musiclurv


	25. XXIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected appearance, anger, and planning.

“While I enjoyed the show so far, I expected far more... sophisticated dance moves from you.”

Lexa clenched her jaw as she walked over to the table, the voice already causing a headache and grating on her nerves. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m insulted,” Cage scoffed, pulling his hand to his chest dramatically. Just like he did everything in his life. Ever since they were in high school together, Cage Wallace was one for the dramatics, playing the perfect student to the authority figures, but making most of the other students’ lives a living hell. It’s what he did best. “Can’t I just want to catch up with an old friend?” 

“We’ve never been friends, Wallace.”

Cage motioned to the booth across from him, silently telling Lexa to sit down. Lexa debated ignoring the offer - standing as a show of defiance or just walking away and forgetting that she had ever run into the little weasel again. But her curiosity was always hard to push away.

She sat opposite him, staring him down with a look that would make most nervous. “What do you want?” she asked again.

Spinning his straw around in his drink calmly, Cage looked Lexa over. “You’ve become even more beautiful, Lexa. It’s hard to believe that the lanky high school soccer star is the same woman sitting before me today.”

“Cut the crap, Cage,” Lexa ground out, annoyed that he was taking up so much of her time. The night was supposed to be a celebration for her. But this idiot had to show up and ruin everything.

“I wanted to check up on you. Make sure you weren’t getting tangled up with the wrong sorts,” he said. His eyes scanned down her again critically, almost as if any person that Lexa may have encountered would have left a signature on her skin.

“That’s hardly any of your business.”

“Au contraire, Miss Woods.” Lexa ground her teeth at his patronizing tone. She hated it. She hated _him_. And yet, here she was, letting him take up even more of her time. “My father’s offer still stands. He’s very interested in bringing you onto his team. He always has been.”

“And _my_ father won’t be bribed over, even if I did join whatever shit hole scheme your father is trying to put together.” Because Lexa’s father was a scientist, and he was the best in his field. And Dante Wallace was still just as persistent about getting Alexander Woods to join his team. He had been out to get Lexa on his side since he knew that Cage was going to school with her in high school.

“There’s no scheme, Lexa. We’re just trying to make the world a better place.”

“For those you consider worthy enough.” Which meant the rich. Those wealthy enough to buy stocks in Weather Corp. and its partners. The Wallace’s were nothing if not rich, and they considered only those beneficial to them to be worthy of their time.

Alexander Woods would be an asset to the tech company. He was brilliant, and most people had expected Lexa to follow in his footsteps when she went to college. He’d been completely supportive of her decision to pursue soccer and physical sciences instead. His coworkers and people who had sought him out for his intelligence... well, they were a bit unimpressed with her decision.

“Lexa, Lexa, Lexa,” Cage consoled, reaching across the table to place his hand on Lexa’s. Lexa glared down at it, wishing that she could ignite it with just a look. “We believe that everyone on this planet should have a better life. Unfortunately, some just can’t _afford_ that better life. Now, how can we be to blame for that? We’re trying to _help_ them.”

“By keeping everything out of their reach. You and your father have been and always will be greedy trust fund brats that can’t keep their hands to themselves.” She yanked her hand out from under Cage’s, wiping it off on her pants.

Cage sat back, his easy demeanor hardening into a firm glare. “Survival of the fittest has always been the way of this world, Woods. We are the fittest. And we _will_ make this world better. For us. With or without you and your father.”

“Because that plan’s worked out so well for you in the past.”

The smirk that spread across Cage’s lips made a chill run up Lexa’s spine. “Things have changed, Lexa. Advancements have been made. You’ll see soon enough. And then you and your father will be crawling to our doors, groveling, begging to be let in.”

“In your dreams,” Lexa ground out.

Cage chuckled and slipped out of the booth, patting down his blazer so it fell perfectly on his shoulders. “I’ll be seeing you again soon, Miss Woods.” He turned to walk away, but stopped and turned back. “Oh, I almost forgot.” A slimy smile spread across his lips again, triumph flashing in his eyes. “Clarke says hello.” 

* * *

 

Lexa’s blood ran cold.

She sat frozen, staring at the sick, sadistic smile that Cage directed at her. He had Clarke. She had no idea why he would go after her. She was nothing to him. Lexa hadn’t even seen or heard from her in months. So _why_ had Cage gone after her?

The table shook as she launch out of the booth, fists clenching in Cage’s shirt faster than Lexa had ever moved before. Cage’s smile never faltered.

“Where is she?” Lexa growled out. She held his shirt tighter, lifting him onto his toes.

Cage chuckled, reaching up to pat Lexa’s cheek. “You needn’t worry about her, Lexa. She’s in good hands.”

Lexa ground her teeth. “Where. Is. She?”

“Lexa? What’s going on over here?” Octavia appeared beside her, hands clenched at her sides as she stared Cage down. She had never even met the man, but she was already on the defensive.

Lexa continued to glare at Cage, waiting for an answer.

“You know how to get your answer,” Cage said, his voice oily and thick, sinking into Lexa’s bones. She hated it. She hated _him_. She wanted nothing more than to punch his smug little face in and go find Clarke herself. But he had her. He and his greedy, slimy father had their hands on Clarke, and Lexa would do anything to make sure she was okay.

Suddenly, Cage was pulled out of Lexa’s hands, being tugged around to face the other direction. “Get out of here before I beat your scrawny ass into the ground,” Anya growled out, tossing Cage away from them by the scruff of his shirt.

Cage stumbled a few steps and then righted himself, smoothing out wrinkles in his clothing. “You know where to find me, Lexa. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon.”

Lexa’s jaw was clenched so tight she was surprised she hadn’t cracked any teeth. Her fingernails dug into her palms, no doubt breaking skin and drawing blood. And she stood frozen, unable to move, as Cage walked away from her and presumably back to wherever he was keeping Clarke.

“What the fuck was that about?” Raven asked, surprisingly sober sounding. In fact, none of her friends appeared off balance anymore. The threat that Cage brought with him (whether all of her friends realized it to begin with or not) was enough to sober them all up considerably.

“Cage Wallace,” Anya replied when Lexa just continued to stare at the door that Cage left through. She wanted to chase after him. Follow him to his home and get Clarke out of his filthy hands. She wanted to, but she had to be smarter than that.

Raven looked between Lexa and Anya, clearly frustrated that she was missing something. “Am I the only one who doesn’t know what that means?”

“I’m just as lost as you are, Rae,” Octavia supplied. “Why don’t we—“

“I need to go,” Lexa said suddenly, launching into motion. She went over to the table they had claimed when they arrived, grabbing her jacket and throwing it back on.

Anya was right with her, pulling her own jacket on and handing Raven hers. “Where to?” she asked, keeping in step with Lexa as she headed toward the door.

“I said _I_ need to go. You need to stay out of this.” Lexa pushed the door open, walking out and not waiting for anyone to follow.

“Like hell I’m staying behind,” Anya growled out, stomping after Lexa. Octavia and Raven followed dutifully behind, apparently ready and willing to get involved if needed.

Lexa spun on her heel, glaring at Anya. “Listen to me for once in your life. Stay out of this.”

Anya grabbed Lexa’s arm, keeping her from walking away again. “The Wallace’s are dangerous, Lexa. I’m not letting you do whatever the hell you’re about to do on your own.”

Jerking her arm out of Anya’s grip, Lexa leveled a steady stare at her. “I’m going back to my apartment.”

Anya scoffed. “And you’re just going to stay there all night?”

Lexa didn’t deign to answer. She turned again, walking to the curb to hail a cab. “You three should do the same.”

“Are either of you going to explain what the hell is happening?” Raven asked again, annoyed at being left in the dark.

“Cage Wallace,” Lexa began, eyes scanning the streets for a taxi, “is the heir to Weather Corp.”

“Okay...” Raven said expectantly.

Anya crossed her arms and stared at Lexa, her glare burning holes into Lexa’s turned back. “He and his father are the scum of the earth. They’re elitists. The high and mighty sort. They’ve been trying to get Lexa’s father to join them for years.”

Octavia looked between them. “I’m still lost here. Why does any of that matter?”

“Because they’ve been trying to go through Lexa to get to him,” Anya answered.

“She turned him down again though, obviously. So what was with all the fisticuffs?” Raven asked.

“They do not like to be denied what they want,” Lexa answered distractedly. This was a waste of time. They didn’t need to know all the details. They weren’t going to be involved in this. Maybe she should go home, instead. Get Lincoln to help. He’d know what to do. He never liked the Wallace’s either. If her father found out... Well, she’d keep this from him if she could. He had enough pressure on him as it was.

A hand gripped Lexa’s arm, tugging lightly. Lexa looked over and found Octavia looking up at her worriedly. “What have they done?”

Lexa ground her teeth, the muscle in her jaw twitching, and looked back out at the street. It was ridiculously empty, and she probably could have walked back to their apartment by that point. “They have Clarke.”

Silence was her answer. Shocked, furious silence.

“They _what_?” Anya asked, her own fury flaring up.

Lexa nodded, finally finding a taxi to hail over. “They have Clarke. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why they thought she’d be a good target. But I’m going to get her back.”

“Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, call the police or something?” Octavia asked, shaking out of her shock, anger taking over instead. 

“The police won’t help,” Lexa said, pulling the door open to the taxi and climbing in.

The other three followed, Octavia squeezing in next to Lexa and Raven sitting beside her, Anya storming into the passenger’s seat.

“You’re not supposed to be up—“ the driver started, flustered at the group that was crackling with angry energy.

“Shut up and drive,” Anya cut him off, telling him the address for Lexa’s apartment. She turned around in her seat, staring back at Lexa. “What’s the plan?”

“The _police_ ,” Octavia tried again.

Lexa scowled at her. “The police have been paid off by the Wallace’s more times than I can even count. They. Won’t. Help.”

Octavia sunk back in her seat. And Lexa would have felt bad had she not been so furious. Because Cage had taken something he should never have touched. He could come after Lexa. He could try to come after her father. But to take someone who had nothing to do with the situation, while not exactly too low for his family, was enough to bring Lexa’s rage upon him.

“Plan,” Anya said, snapping her fingers to get Lexa’s attention back on her. “Let’s hear it.”

“Who said anything about me having a plan?” Lexa said.

Another scoff. “You’ve had a plan since he left the bar. I know you, Lexa.”

Lexa glared at her. “You’re not in it. None of you are.” She looked at the other two pointedly. “Whatever he and his father are up to, it’s no good. They’re dangerous. Cage is even more sadistic than his father. And I _am not_ going to drag you three into this fight.”

Octavia, Raven and Anya all looked at each other, communicating through the one look alone.

“Lexa...” Octavia started, forever the rational voice of the group (however surprising that was to anyone who was ever on the receiving end of her anger).

“You’re even more thick than I thought if you think for one second that we’re going to let you go in there alone,” Raven said. She rolled her eyes at the thought.

“We’re your team,” Octavia said, elbowing Raven in the ribs.

“And you wouldn’t get three feet through the door without us,” Anya added. 

Lexa looked them all over, considering. They could help. But they could also just get in the way. Or worse, they could get hurt or dragged into everything like Clarke had been. Having three extra people on her side, though... “You three think very highly of yourselves.”

“Who was it that always masterminded the pranks on campus?” Raven said smugly.

“This isn’t another one of your pranks,” Lexa said seriously. “I don’t know what he’s doing to Clarke, but it can’t be good.”

Raven waved her off. “Still. Mastermind.”

Lexa huffed out a frustrated breath, turning to stare out her window as they drew closer to her and Octavia’s apartment. “Fine. But you listen to what I tell you to do. No arguing.”

She knew they’d probably throw that order out the window, but she could at least try. And, with them not pestering her any more about letting them help, maybe she would be able to keep them out of the line of fire.

Hopefully, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who saw that coming??!? Spoiler alert: I did. But stuff is about to really start going down now. So buckle up, buttercups. It’s gonna get bumpy. 
> 
> Any theories on why Cage went after Clarke? Or on how he even knew about Clarke? Why is Lexa being so stubborn? What is even happening?
> 
> Come follow the tumblr for this fic @starkeepersguide to get updates/sneakpeaks and other fun stuff randomly. And, you can come chat with me about this fic if you want. It’ll be a good time.


	26. XXV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big booms, lock picking, and gifts.

It was just past midnight when Lexa lead Octavia, Raven and Anya out of her apartment and down to her car. She had, of course, tried to dissuade them from joining her again, but they were adamant about helping.

So they came up with a plan that would hopefully not get any of them shot at by security guards or locked up in jail.

Lexa wasn’t totally convinced that either of those things _wouldn’t_ happen, but she was trying not to linger on those thoughts.

If they were lucky, they’d be able to make it back to Lexa’s hometown by three, and still have the cover of darkness to help them. Again, _if_ they were lucky.

One thing that Lexa was certain of was that it was going to be a very long night. 

* * *

 

“True or false,” Raven mumbled next to Lexa as they watched the night guard circle around the Wallace home. “This plan may very well get one of us shot.”

Lexa didn’t answer, instead choosing to focus on the one guard she had seen pacing the front gate. “We’ll have to time this exactly right.”

“They’ll have cameras.”

“Undoubtedly.” Lexa added another guard to her count, a new man turning the corner that she hadn’t seen before.

“We’ll be lucky if they haven’t caught us on tape already,” Raven continued. “There’s eight.” She pointed to another guard, coming out of the front gate to join the others.

“Which is why Octavia and Anya are going to be creating a distraction.”

“A distraction that they’ve probably already seen them setting up.” Raven cursed under her breath. “Who decided this was a good plan?”

Lexa shot her a glare. “We did the best we could with the time we had. If you’re having second thoughts, you can leave.”

Raven laughed under her breath. “I’m well past second thoughts, Woods. I’m closer to fifty-second thoughts.”

Lexa’s lip ticked up. “At least I’m not the only one.”

They sat in silence, waiting for the signal that they could move onto the next step of their plan. Anya and Octavia, while both incredibly capable in their own rights, had a tendency to lean toward the dramatic. Not that Raven was much better. But their distraction was, without doubt, going to become something much bigger than was actually necessary. 

Raven, on the other hand, was supposed to help Lexa break through the Wallace’s security system if need be. And, no matter how much Raven had actually wanted to help cause a distraction with her girlfriend, none of them could deny that she was the most apt with computers. 

Raven’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, blocking the light from the screen so that none of the guards would notice it. “Aw,” she cooed. “See? She does care.” She tilted her phone so Lexa could see.

**Anya (3:34 AM): This one’s for you, babe**

Lexa had barely finished reading the text when the ground shook and a loud bang rattled through the air. They both looked up, Raven with a look of awe, to see smoke rising from the other side of the home.

“Now that’s love, bitches,” Raven said.

Lexa rolled her eyes and grabbed Raven’s shirt, pulling her up to her feet. “Time to go.” She looked around them again, noting that all of the guards had run in the direction of the explosion except for one.

She’d have to take care of him herself, apparently.

The guard was staring off at the smoke when Lexa snuck up behind him, wrapping her arm around his throat. He struggled, and Lexa held tighter, waiting for his body to become heavy in her arms, his fighting slowing to a stop, and she let him down slowly to the ground. She checked his pulse and waited for a beat to feel his heart still pounding away.

She didn’t want to kill anyone, after all.

With a wave of her hand, Lexa motioned for Raven to catch up to her. She stepped aside so Raven could hack into the gate’s electronic lock, the latch snapping open less than a minute later.

“Forty-three seconds. Nice,” Raven said proudly. She held up one of her hands just to give herself a high-five.

“If you’re finished,” Lexa said pointedly. Raven smiled cheekily at her, shrugging as if Lexa couldn’t blame her for being excited. Lexa pushed the gate open and poked her head through, checking that the coast was clear.

They made it halfway across the yard before they heard the slow clapping.

“Well done, Woods,” Cage said, stepping out of the shadows of the house. Lexa stopped Raven quickly, pushing her to take a few steps back. “I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to bring your little friends along with you.”

“Where is she, Wallace?” Lexa ground out between her teeth. Her eyes darted around them quickly, checking for other threats, before falling back on Cage.

“Who, exactly?” Cage asked smugly. He snapped his fingers as if he had just realized who she was talking about. “Oh, you mean Miss Griffin.” He shrugged, taking a step closer. “Haven’t the foggiest.”

Lexa tried to push Raven back further, not liking how the situation was unfolding. Raven held her ground, however, instead stepping closer once again. “What do you mean?” Raven asked.

Cage’s brows rose in surprise, apparently having not expected Raven to speak up. “And who exactly are you? You’re apparently very intelligent if you could break through the security lock in fort-five seconds.”

“Forty-three,” Raven corrected.

“Not the time,” Lexa scolded quietly.

Raven had the decency to look sheepish at the rebuke.

“She’s none of your concern,” Lexa directed at Cage. “Now tell me where Clarke is.”

Cage sighed dramatically. “You see, she is my concern, though. If someone can break through our security that easily, then they are a threat to this company and my family.” A sick grin twisted his face. “In fact, I can only see this going one of two ways.”

Lexa and Raven stared him down silently. 

“One,” Cage strolled casually toward the door of the house, “you come with me peacefully and we can discuss an agreement of sorts.”

Lexa’s fists clenched. She knew exactly what he meant by that.

Cage came to a stop directly in front of his door, facing them properly again. “Two, you come with me anyway. It’s much less pleasant for you, but much more enjoyable for me. You know,” he paused as if he was thinking it over. “I think I like option two better anyway.” He snapped his fingers, and before either Lexa or Raven could turn to run, guards ran out of the shadows, grabbing on to Raven and dragging her away from Lexa and toward Cage.

Lexa lurched toward her, trying to pull the guards away from Raven, but was pushed back before she could make it even a few steps. Five guards surrounded her, blocking her path to Raven.

With that smirk back on his face, Cage grabbed Raven’s chin when she was next to him. “I think you’ll be fun.”

“Don’t touch her!” Lexa ordered. A guard grabbed her around the waist when she tried to run forward, punching her in the gut when she kept fighting.

Raven scowled at him, jerking her chin out of his grip. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

Cage laughed patronizingly. “I think it’s you who doesn’t know who you’re dealing with.” His gaze hardened as he looked over Raven’s shoulder to the guards holding her. “Take her inside.”

A string of curses ran through Lexa’s mind nonstop as she watched on helplessly. Raven kicked and fought until she was out of Lexa’s sight.

“Let her go,” Lexa demanded.

Cage laughed again. “Not likely. And now for you.” He stepped closer, tapping his chin in thought. “What shall we do with you?”

Lexa knew that he already had a plan. He wouldn’t have started all of this if he didn’t already have something up his sleeve. It was just a matter of what exactly that plan was. And if she’d be able to bargain Raven out of it.

“It’s interesting,” Cage began casually, as if he was just speaking to an old friend, “and rather curious.” He stopped and looked Lexa over expectantly. “This is where you ask what is.”

Lexa ground her teeth together. He was playing with her. And she had no choice but to play along. For now. “What is?” she finally growled out.

Cage smiled victoriously. “That, what brought you here tonight is there very thing that my family wants the most.” Lexa froze. If he meant what she thought he meant, then she had played right into his hands. If Clarke wasn’t with the Wallace’s already... “And,” Cage continued, “that while pursuing our prize, we ended up with not one, not two, but four additional prizes.”

Scuffling, shouting and cursing sounded then, coming closer to the front yard. Lexa looked over to see Octavia and Anya being dragged in, both throwing punches and kicks to their adversaries when they could.

“I’d even say that our team here at Weather Corp. may have just received a package deal. You see, Lexa,” he walked closer to Lexa, stopping just on the other side of two of his guards and looking between their shoulder at her, “your friends were never meant to be involved. The consolation prize for all of this would have been you. But you gave me an even better gift than that. You handed me an additional genius and two fighters. Of course, each of you will have to be broken and reprogrammed, but that will come with time.”

“Leave them out of this, Wallace,” Lexa warned, glaring furiously at him. He had gone too far this time. She knew she shouldn’t have let her friends help. If she had just forced them to stay behind, they wouldn’t be in this now. It would just be her that had fallen into Cage’s trap.

Cage tutted at her, shaking his head admonishingly. “You didn’t even hear the best part.” His smile had Lexa tensing up for whatever he was going to say. “You came here with your little friends to try to rescue one Clarke Griffin, correct?” He waited for Lexa to nod, though she did so reluctantly. “When Clarke shows up, undoubtedly to try to rescue you all from the big, bag Weather Corp., we’ll have all the pieces to the little puzzle we’ve been trying to work out for years. You’re all well and good, sure, but the Griffin’s are the prize.” He smirked maniacally at her and Lexa’s heart sunk.

Because if she understood correctly, this was an even bigger trap than she had realized.

Cage’s eyes darted over Lexa’s shoulder for just a moment before landing back on her. “And you just provided a way to it, gift wrapped and hand delivered.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. There’s that. Poor Lexa walked right into that. Cage knew she would all along. And we still don’t know where the heck Clarke is. Like... do the Wallaces have her? Is Cage still just tricking Lexa? Or was it all just a ploy? And will anyone come to help get the gang out? What the heck? So many questions. 
> 
> Comments/requests/kudos/questions are always loved and appreciated. I also want to apologize for not being as strict about posting every week. I’m seriously slacking. But, you can thank the president of my fan club for that. While she pushes me to update regularly, she’s also a huge distraction. So blame her for dating me and distracting me. (Btw, she started talking to me because of this fic. And that seems pretty fic worthy, too. You can all swoon now, if you want. Because she’s super adorable.)
> 
> Come find the blog for this fic on tumblr @starkeepersguide and let me know what you think! Sneakpeaks, random related posts, and updates all show up periodically. So check it out!


	27. XXVI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squabbles, plans, and a surprise.

A week.

At least, Lexa was pretty sure they had been trapped in the Wallace house for a week. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure, as the guards that were set to watch them varied when they provided meals or bathroom breaks.

The basement was bleak and windowless, and, try as they might, there was no way out. Even the best lock pickers among them (Raven and Anya debated well into the first day that they could pick better) couldn’t unlock the basement door. Not that it would really matter if they did. There was always a guard or two waiting on the other side, changing shifts throughout the day for fresh minds and bodies.

Lexa tried not to go stir crazy.

The key word: tried.

Periodically and one by one, the others were brought out of the basement for hours at a time. The guard that tried to take Raven away had a black eye and a broken arm to show for it. And when it was Anya’s turn, her guard didn’t fare much better. (The two were made for each other, an no one could deny it.)

Octavia held her own as well, though her fight was a much more subtle one. Her guards always brought her back quickly, looking both confused and shaken each time. Octavia smirked and shrugged when Lexa looked at her in question. “It’s all about keeping them guessing.”

From what the others could gather, Cage was trying to manipulate them. He offered riches and travels and all the things anyone could want in the world if they would just join him. Lexa didn’t even need the others to tell her that they continued to refuse him. Cage’s stomping around on the floor above told her more than enough.

But, for a reason that Lexa couldn’t figure out, she had yet to be taken upstairs. She would assume that Cage was trying to wear her down, make her tired and beaten and ready to give in. But they both knew that Lexa was too stubborn for her own good. She had held out since high school, after all. And Cage knew she’d never give in just because he kept her in a basement.

So she sat and waited and helped her friends in whatever way she could. And they plotted. Not that any of their plans seemed viable. And each one got crazier and more absurd the longer they were stuck there.

“Honestly, someone has to have noticed we’re gone by now. I’m sure Lincoln is freaking out, at least. And our bosses,” Octavia said. Again. She said something along the same lines almost every day since they had been thrown down into the dark basement. 

Raven sighed in frustration. “And how, exactly, do you think they’re going to figure out where we’ve gone? It’s not like we left a note behind.”

Which would have been the reasonable and smart thing to do. But, hindsight and all that.

“People saw what happened between Lexa and Cage at the bar. Someone has to know,” Octavia argued.

“No. One. Is. Coming,” Raven ground out between her teeth.

“So you’re just giving up?” Octavia asked, sounding outraged. Raven stood from her cot, storming over to Octavia and pushing into her space.

“Unless you have some damn way to get in touch with someone, yeah. I’m giving up on that. No one is coming for us. Not Lincoln, not your fucking boss... No one. Get it through that thick head of yours.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, staring up at the ceiling from her cot. This same argument had been happening more and more often recently. “Would you two knock it off?”

“She started it,” they both said at the same time. They glared at each other and then stormed in opposite directions, going over to their own cots. If Lexa didn’t know better, she’d think the two were starting to hate each other. But they weren’t best friends for nothing.

The side of Lexa’s cot sank down, and she looked over to see Anya squinting at her in the dim light. “Any ideas yet?” she asked quietly. Even though Anya was the most stoic of them all (with the worst temper, arguably), she was getting incredibly nervous. Anyone would after what they had all been through.

Lexa shook her head, looking back up at the ceiling. She had led them all into this mess with her ideas. And look where that got them. Any more of her ideas might very well get them all killed.

“We need to get out of here.” She looked over at Raven and then to Octavia. “I’m worried what the stress is doing to us.”

With a sigh, Lexa looked over at the two who were pointedly ignoring each other. “You don’t think...”

Anya shook her head. “No. Neither of them will give in to him. None of us will. But their fights are getting worse.”

“Well, when you keep atomic bomb Raven and hurricane Octavia in a room together...” Lexa trailed off, chuckling a little. Trying to, at least. There wasn’t very much to find funny at the moment, really.

A smirk tugged at Anya’s lips. “Maybe we should just let them get riled up and then send them up there together. See who comes out alive at the end of it.”

“Let’s keep that as Plan B,” Lexa said with a grin.

“Or C,” Anya joked.

“Are we on D, yet?”

“I think at this point we may be at P.”

Anya and Lexa grinned at each other and then fell into a light laughter. It really wasn’t funny. They were stuck in a basement and would be for god knew how long. But at least they were all together. And they still had a chance as long as they were all breathing.

“What the hell is so funny?” Raven barked grumpily.

* * *

 

 

Lexa woke with a jolt. She wasn’t sure what woke her, and at first she thought it may have been Raven’s light snoring.

She didn’t move in her bed, listening out for any other noise that could have woken her. When she didn’t hear anything else, she settled back down, trying to fall back asleep.

Just as her mind began to settle (as much as it could in their situation), a muffled yelp sounded from above. Lexa sat up on her cot, staring at the barely visible door through the darkness. She watched it intently, refusing to be surprised by whatever was coming.

Lexa got off of her cot, keeping her eyes on the door, and made her way toward Anya’s cot. When she got there and reached down to shake Anya’s shoulder, she found her already awake and staring at the door as well.

“What is it?” Anya asked quietly.

“Don’t know. Wake Raven,” Lexa mumbled. Whatever or whoever was coming possibly didn’t know that they were awake already. And they could maybe get the upper hand for once. Maybe.

Anya rolled over to wake Raven in the cot pressed against her own, and Lexa moved over to Octavia’s cot. Octavia, like Anya, was already awake and alert. “Plan?” she mumbled.

“Wait. Be ready for anything.”

The scuffling and bumping noises from above had gotten closer to the basement door. Whoever was causing the ruckus was attempting to be quiet about it, even if they weren’t doing a great job.

Octavia, Anya and a grumpy but awake Raven all stood next to Lexa, staring the door down.

The doorknob shook, rattling as someone messed with it and the multiple locks on the other side. “Get ready,” Lexa warned. If it was just someone coming down to get one of them, they’d fight like usual. If it was something else... well, they’d fight then, too. If nothing else, they could make their captors’ lives as hellish as possible.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the doorknob twisted and the door creaked open. A blinding light shone in, sweeping across the basement until it finally landed on the group. They all winced and lifted their hands, trying to block the light so they could see who was there.

“Well shit,” Raven said next to her, sounding surprised. Her hand had fallen back down to her side.

Lexa’s eyes finally adjusted well enough that she could see the figure that was sitting on the top step of the basement stairwell. And her jaw fell open as her shoulders lost their tension.

The person sitting there was the best and worst sight that Lexa could have seen right then. Because, if she was there, at the top of the steps, that meant that Lexa really had played right into whatever plan Cage had. If she was there, then she was in danger. But, if she was there, if she was _really_ there, they might just have a chance of escape.

Her doubts of reality disappeared a second later.

“Hello, sweetie.” Clarke said with that lazy grin of hers. “Long time no see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She’s back!! Whaaaa??? What does that even mean? What’s going to happen?? What is Cage up to???? So many questions. Idk what even is going. 
> 
> Comments/questions/requests/rants/kudos are always loved and welcome. Come find me on tumblr @musiclurv. And you can also follow this story’s blog @starkeepersguide.


	28. XXVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A daring rescue, some huge clues, and a goodbye.

Her hair was longer. That was the first thing Lexa really noticed. Followed by the dirty and torn clothing that no doubt covered some new cuts and bruises, and her scuffed knuckles.

“Clarke,” Lexa said, her voice barely scraping past her lips before Clarke was pushing up off the step and walking toward her. She stopped halfway down the stairs.

“Time to go.” She held out her hand expectantly, motioning Lexa and her friends toward her.

The other three snapped out of their surprise fist, moving quickly and quietly up the stairs, past Clarke, and then out of the basement door.

Lexa, however, was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on. How could Clarke have known where to find them? Why was she even there? She was playing right into whatever plan Cage had, and Lexa couldn’t stop her. But maybe... maybe Clarke had thought of that. Maybe she’d been able to get Cage out of the picture for their escape.

“Lex,” Clarke called calmly. She beckoned her forward with her outstretched hand. “We need to get moving.”

Lexa shook off her surprise and went to Clarke, grabbing her hand and running up the stairs with her. She pulled her to a stop after they had exited the basement.

“What are you doing here?” she asked breathlessly, still shocked and surprised and worried all at once.

Clarke tugged on her hand. “We don’t really have time to go over all the details right now. But to keep it simple, rescuing you. Now, _let’s go_.” She tugged on her hand again, trying to pull her forward.

“No. Well, yes. Yes, let’s go. But you. You need to get out of here. Cage is planning something. This is all a trap, and if you’re here that means—“

Stepping toward her, Clarke cupped Lexa’s cheek in her hand. Her eyes were both sad and happy as she looked into Lexa’s. “I know. We need to get you out of here.”

“Me?” Lexa asked, her voice choking off with nerves. Because she had missed Clarke, and missed these familiar touches. And her hand felt so warm against Lexa’s cheek, and her eyes looked so soft and concerned and devastatingly _blue_...

Clarke nodded. “You. And Octavia, Raven and Anya. None of you should have been involved in this.”

“Cage isn’t a new problem.”

“He never is.” She pulled away with a little grin and a spark in her eye. “Now it’s time for your daring escape, Lex.”

Tugging on Lexa’s hand again, Clarke lead the way toward the front door where the other three were waiting.

“It’s about damn time. Were you monologuing?” Anya scowled at them as they ran up, annoyed that they’d had to wait.

“I,” Clarke said seriously, pointing at Anya, “am not the villain. And I’m far too intelligent to be caught monologuing about my nefarious plans, even if I was a villain.” Her composure broke into a wide grin. “Now, let’s go. There’s a car waiting out front.”

“You just left a car waiting in plain sight?” Raven asked, looking out the door at the sleek black car waiting for them in the driveway.

Clarke nodded, popping out a, “Yep,” quickly before pushing them all out the door. “Get going.”

They had just made it down the front steps when Lexa noticed that Clarke had stopped at the top. She spun on her heel, turning back, ready to run back and drag Clarke down the steps if she had to. But Clarke just smiled sadly at her, lifting her hand to stop her before she had the chance to take a step.

“Clarke, what are you—“

The other three had already climbed into the car, their doors slamming shut. The next moment, Raven had started the engine, the headlights flooding the front yard.

“Go, Lex,” Clarke said. Her shoulders tensed up for a moment, as if she was trying to appear strong, before they loosened up again, drooping down. “This is how it has to happen.”

“How _what_ has to happen?” Lexa yelled angrily. Because it was _not_ the time for Clarke’s mysterious shit. It was the time for escape, and a hasty one at that. There was no telling when Cage was going to come storming out of the house, commanding his army of cronies to do his bidding and capture them all again. And then what would all of this have been for?

Clarke looked down to her feet, lifting her eyes again to Lexa, her smile shaking. “I was really hoping that we’d get more time. Defy the odds just this once.”

Lexa was just about to start up the stairs, ready with her own argument, and demand that Clarke come with her, when she looked down at what Clarke’s eyes had fallen to once again.

Clarke’s foot had sunk just an inch into the pavement, her weight holding down a previously unseen trigger. She sighed heavily and looked to Lexa again. “You’d better not see this.”

“Clarke,” Lexa said, her voice cracking and her eyes stinging. “Clarke,” she tried again, “what is that?”

Clarke shrugged. “Could be any number of things, I suppose. Most likely something pretty unpleasant, though. And you really don’t need to see that.”

“I’m not leaving you, Clarke,” Lexa said firmly. She took a step closer, ready and willing to stand next to Clarke for whatever was about to happen. Clarke, after all, had come. She’d saved them from Cage’s grasp. And Lexa would be damned if she let something happen to Clarke because of that. They were _all_ going to get out of this, one way or another.

“Stop,” Clarke demanded. She took a deep breath, her eyes falling closed as she lifted her face toward the starry sky. “Just... stop, Lexa.”

A single tear had fallen from Clarke’s eye, trailing down her cheek to fall from the line of her jaw.

Lexa’s heart broke.

“I won’t leave you. Not here.”

Clarke coughed out a self-deprecating laugh. Lexa thought she heard Clarke mumble something along the lines of “ _of course she won’t leave me_ this _time_ ,” before Clarke lowered her head, and her blue eyes fell again on Lexa. “You have to leave, Lexa.” Her eyes darted over Lexa’s shoulder, and she gave a firm nod before looking back at Lexa. “I’m sorry. For all of this. For not having the time to explain. I really thought that this time...” She trailed off, shaking her head with a watery laugh. “Well, that doesn’t matter now, does it?”

“What are you talking about? We’re going to have all the time in the world. You just have to come down the damn stairs.” She took a lurching step forward, but a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and started dragging her back toward the car. Lexa struggled against Anya as she tugged her back, and from the quick glance she spared her, she could tell Anya was refusing to look at her. “Let me go! I need to get her!”

Anya continued to drag the kicking and screaming Lexa away from Clarke, who watched on sadly. Just before Anya tried to push Lexa into the car, Clarke called out again. “It’s always you and me against the world, love.” Lexa’s heart stopped at the finality in Clarke’s voice. She froze in her fight, eyes focusing in on Clarke. Clarke tilted her head endearingly and grinned, trying for calm and confident. “This time it just fought back a little too hard.”

Before Lexa realized what had happened, Anya shoved her in the car, Octavia tugging her into the back. Anya slid in next to her, helping Octavia restrain her, and shouted for Raven to start driving.

Lexa twisted in her seat as they drove away, screaming the entire way that they had to go back. They couldn’t leave Clarke. They couldn’t just give up. Clarke was meant to be with them. Lexa had to go save her. They had to go ba—

Just before they turned the corner out of the driveway, Clarke stepped back off of the sunken pavement, her gaze locked on the retreating car.

The entire entranceway collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t shoot me. 
> 
> But also, two in one week??? What’s that about? Maybe because they were both so short, and I figured you guys deserved some spoiling. Maybe because my gf wants to know what happens. The world may never know which is the truth. 
> 
> Did you all catch those hints???? So many of them! I’m sure all of your minds are whirring with new theories and ideas as to what’s going on. I expect your thoughts in the comments below (and, by expect, I mean I’m begging for them).
> 
> Follow this story’s blog @starkeepersguide on tumblr! And I’ll follow you back with my personal blog, @musiclurv if you do. Share any interesting theories to @starkeepersguide, and I’ll definitely post them on the blog, too. 
> 
> Until next time!


	29. XXVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hatred, a plan, and visitors.

Lexa fought against Anya and Octavia the entire trip back to her and Octavia’s apartment. If Raven would just turn around, if they’d just _listen_ to her, she could save Clarke.

“Lexa,” Raven said solemnly, looking back through the review mirror at Lexa. And Lexa knew that tone. She knew exactly what Raven was implying. But she wouldn’t believe it. She _couldn’t_ believe it.

“No,” Lexa bit out, tugging her arm once again out of Anya’s grip. “Shut your damn mouth. Turn around. We’re going back.”

Raven shook her head, eyes already back on the road as she continued to drive, ignoring Lexa’s demand.

It was a long drive. But it seemed to Lexa as if it took no time at all. The next thing she knew, Raven was pulling up to her apartment, and Clarke was hours away from her. _They had taken her away from Clarke._

Lexa stumbled out of the car after Octavia climbed out. She straightened up and turned to look at the three that were all standing there, avoiding her eyes. “I hate you.” She walked up to Anya, fisting her shirt in her hands, and tugged her closer. “I fucking _hate_ you!” she yelled out. She shoved Anya away from her, making her fall back against the car.

“Watch yourself, Woods,” Raven warned, moving next to Anya defensively.

Lexa scoffed. “You don’t get to tell me what to do now, Reyes. None of you do.” She turned to walk away, determined to get into her apartment to... she didn’t know what. She didn’t have her car. They had left it miles away from Cage’s house. But she had to do _something_.

“Lex...” Anya called quietly. Lexa stopped, barely turning so Anya knew she was listening. She scowled at her over her shoulder and Anya seemed to flinch. “I’m sorry.”

Lexa didn’t spare her an answer, instead just turning to walk away.

* * *

 

She had to get back to her. She couldn’t leave Clarke there. Alive or—

Lexa cut off the thought before it could finish.

She had to go get Clarke out of that house. She had to get her away from Cage and his father and whatever they were planning. She had to save her.

She _had_ to.

* * *

 

The floors creaked under Lexa’s feet as she paced back and forth in her room. She chewed on her lip in frustration, trying to come up with some sort of plan.

It had been two weeks.

Two weeks in which either Anya, Raven, or Octavia were watching her, making sure she “didn’t do something stupid.” Two weeks that she had been held captive by her own friends.

Two weeks in which she didn’t know what the hell was happening to Clarke.

Of course, her friends had attempted to make it seem like they weren’t taking turns watching her at first. They’d casually offer to go out with her or hang out around her apartment. She had walked out of her bedroom that first night back, ready to go catch a cab if she had to to get back to Clarke, only to find Raven sitting on her couch casually, offering up a beer.

Then Anya had showed up the following morning, deciding that she needed to go out to run some drills because, “Laying on that cot for a week did nothing for your muscle tone, Lexa. Let’s get moving.”

Octavia was a near constant throughout the night, often bringing Lincoln in on it to stay over and keep an eye on Lexa.

And none of them had even so much as mentioned Clarke. It was as if they had all decided that even mentioning Clarke’s name would set Lexa off, send her running back to the Wallace house on a suicide mission.

And so what if they were somewhat right?

Lexa turned on her heel, starting another lap around her room.

If she could just sneak out of the apartment, leave the other three behind, and get a ride back out to Wallace’s home...

A light reflected off something outside her window, blinding her for a moment. She blinked rapidly and moved over to the window to close the blinds. Which is when she saw it.

The shiny red bike sat in a parking spot off to the side, out of the way, and easily overlooked. On it sat a single black helmet. And in that moment, Lexa knew.

Clarke had left it there for her.

* * *

 

It was an absolutely insane plan.

Lexa didn’t even know how to ride a motorcycle. Sure, she knew the concept, and she had ridden it with Clarke a few times. She’d seen exactly how Clarke handled the giant metal death machine. And Clarke had run through the mechanics of it with her. She’d even given her a couple of lessons.

So she was confident she could figure it out. She thought.

She hoped.

Octavia watched her from the corner of her eye as Lexa walked out of her bedroom, gym bag thrown over her shoulder. She dropped the bag to the floor to pull her leather jacket on and then picked up her bag again, not once saying a word to Octavia. She knew Octavia would say something soon enough.

She didn’t disappoint.

“Where ya headed, Lex?” she had tried for casual, but her voice held a tone of concern and suspicion that Lexa had to fight not to roll her eyes at.

“The gym,” Lexa answered gruffly. She threw her bag over her shoulder. “Do I have a curfew now, too?”

Octavia flinched at the sarcasm. “Lex, I know you’re angry. But we’re trying to keep you—“

“Safe,” Lexa cut her off. “I know. I got the memo the first million times you told me.” She motioned to the door. “I’m sure Anya will be meeting me there. Do you want to text her now to give her a head start?” She stared icily at Octavia.

Rebuked and head ducked, Octavia did just that. “I _am_ sorry, you know.”

Lexa did roll her eyes then. She tugged the front door open and left without another word. 

* * *

 

The bike was... well, once found the keys in the saddlebag and got it started, it didn’t seem so bad. She could totally drive it the few hours it would take to get back to the Wallace home.

Lexa pulled the helmet over her head, breathing in deeply as the smell of Clarke’s hair overwhelmed her senses. She only allowed herself a moment to soak it in before she clasped the helmet on and kicked back the bike’s kickstand. She took another deep breath and started driving slowly.

Not that she would have made it very far even if she had driven faster.

She pulled the bike to a stop again at the exit to the parking lot. A man and a woman were standing there, leaning against a car, and staring Lexa down. And Lexa would have sped off, getting as far away from the pair as she could, if it weren’t for the kind blue eyes the man had or the familiar quirked brow the woman directed at her.

Lexa flipped her visor up, not having to wait even a moment before the man pushed off his car and walked toward her, hand held out.

“Are you Lexa?” he asked in greeting. He had a slight accent, almost a mixture of multiple different origins. His brown hair wasn’t quite shaggy, though it definitely looked unkempt, and both his clothes and the woman’s looked like they had been slept in.

The man let his hand fall back to his side when Lexa didn’t raise her own to shake it. Lexa stared him down, waiting for an explanation. She didn’t have enough patience for pleasantries at the moment.

“I don’t know why I asked that. Of course you’re Lexa,” he blabbered on. And Lexa was sure that on any other day she may have actually liked the kind looking man, but right then... “I’m Jake. This is my wife, Abby.” He motioned behind him where the woman still stood, leaning against the car with a serious expression on her face. She pushed forward at her introduction, coming to stand beside Jake.

Lexa looked back and forth between Jake and Abby, waiting for further explanation. When they just looked at each other and then back to her, Lexa decided she had had enough. “Well, nice to meet you, I guess. But I have to get going.”

She flipped the visor down and was just about to get the bike back into motion when Jake reached back out to her. “We know. We’re here to help.”

Lexa eyed them suspiciously. “To help with what?” she asked, her voice muffled by the visor.

Abby, for the first time, spoke, her voice serious and calculated. “Rescue our daughter, of course.”

* * *

 

Jake and Abby Griffin were polar opposites, as Lexa soon found out.

Where Jake was more energetic and flighty, like Clarke, Abby was stoic, stern faced, and serious. The only crack in her cold exterior appeared when she looked at Jake or when she spoke of Clarke.

Not that they shared very much about Clarke. Or about how they knew who Lexa was. Or really about anything other than the necessities for whatever plan they were trying to pull together.

“Weather Corp. has always been ambitious,” Jake said, spreading out what appeared to be a blueprint of the Weather Corp. lab over the hood of their car. “They’re always overeager to achieve the next step.”

Lexa leant over the blueprint, taking in the different layers of the building. “I’m well aware,” she mumbled distractedly. She eyed the couple again, still not fully trusting their abrupt arrival. Though, if they _were_ Clarke’s parents, an abrupt arrival should hardly be surprising or unexpected.

“Cage and his men left us alone after Clarke showed up. Why?” Lexa asked.

Jake looked at her, his blue eyes piercing and so familiar. “They were always ahead of themselves when they tried stunts like this before. We were able to... dissuade their attempts. But they’ve learned. They’ve adapted. And now...” he trailed off, eyes falling down to the blueprint melancholically.

“Now they’ve got Clarke,” Lexa finished for him. “Why do they want her?” She could only hope that Clarke’s parents were a little more forthcoming than their daughter was.

Abby met Jake’s eyes briefly before looking back at Lexa. “They want something that Clarke has. Something that _we_ have. But they can’t have it.”

Well, at least it was _something_. “What do you have?” Lexa pressed. She needed to know what she was getting herself into before charging in head first.

“It’s not something easily explainable,” Jake said, glaring down at the prints in frustration. “And it’s not time,” he almost growled out to himself. He leaned over the car further, resting his elbow on the hood and running his hand through his hair in frustration, mumbling something unintelligible about stars and star catchers and energy and who knew what else.

So this would apparently be exactly like dealing with Clarke.

Lexa looked up at Abby, hoping that the woman who had apparently been an outsider before (according to Clarke’s very brief family history lesson) would have some sympathy for her and let her in on the big secret. Abby just shook her head.

“Time is very important, Lexa,” she offered. She looked over at Jake fondly, her eyes softening around the edges just slightly. “It’s something we all have to learn.”

Jake looked up at that moment, straightening up so that he was towering over Lexa again. “Right. Time. We’re running out of it. And we’ve still got a long drive ahead of us.” He pointed down at the blueprints, his finger landing on a small dark spot that looked to be on the third floor. “This is where she’ll be.” He looked at Lexa and Abby, waiting for both of them to meet his eyes before he continued. “And you can bet your ass that the Wallace’s made it damn hard to get in there. So here’s the plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Shit just got real. Call in the Calvary. Let’s get this show on the road. 
> 
> Lexa’s about to kick some ass. Just a head’s up. It’s gonna be amazing. And answers are finally coming! So soon!! 
> 
> Your questions/comments/requests/theories are all my favorite. Each one is appreciated so much. Also, find this story’s blog on tumblr @starkeepersguide or my personal one @musiclurv. There are sneakpeaks and hints and all kinds of good things on starkeepers. So check it out!


	30. XXIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission, a reunion, and a surprise.

The plan, Lexa quickly realized, mostly involved the Griffin’s helping her get in the building and then abandoning her to find Clarke alone.

Not that they wouldn’t go in if they could, they reassured her multiple times. It would just be way too risky to give the Wallace’s the three of them without knowing for sure that they’d all make it out. Because three Griffin’s having whatever the hell the Wallace’s were after was way worse than one Griffin.

Math and all that.

So Lexa was riding Clarke’s bike again, zipping down the roads leading to Weather Corp, Clarke’s parents following behind a decent distance. “To attract less attention when we get nearer,” Abby explained.

“You should be getting close now,” Jake’s voice sounded in Lexa’s ear, the small communication device the Griffin’s supplied crackling to life. “Remember where we said to leave Clarke’s bike.”

Lexa nodded even though she knew they wouldn’t be able to see her. “And you’ll be waiting there?”

“Absolutely. We’ll be ready when you get back with Clarke.”

Lexa pulled off the road onto a dirt path. Branches slapped at her as she drove through, scratching against the visor of her helmet. But she was through the path quickly enough, and she pulled the bike to a stop in a small clearing. “I’m here,” she mumbled, barely moving her lips as she pulled her helmet off.

She scanned the trees around her, searching for any sign that anyone, or thing, was watching her.

“Good,” Abby’s voice said in her ear. “Get a move on and remember the plan. We’ll only be able to help so much from this distance.”

“Right.”

“And Lexa?” Abby called again. Lexa started walking toward her entrance point, her mind going over the plan again and again. She hummed in acknowledgement. “Bring our daughter back.”

Lexa felt her sides for the two stunning rods the Griffin’s had supplied her with and felt her bag stuffed with other gear hit her back with each step. She grinned. Because this time... this time, Cage wasn’t going to get his way. And Lexa was going to have some fun while she was at it.

“Yes, ma’am.”

* * *

 

Her footsteps fell softly against the earth, barely making a sound as she drew nearer and nearer to the building. She barely even breathed, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to herself. There would be time for that attention later.

Time was very important, after all.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes at the thought, having been told the same thing by each of the Griffin’s at least half a dozen times since she had met them.

Crouching down, Lexa peered through the branches, noting the small gap in security that Jake had pointed out to her. They all knew it’d be a small miracle if the fencing was still bent out of shape when Lexa arrived, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was. Jake had managed to make it inconspicuous enough that no one would notice it without knowing it was there.

And it was just wide enough for Lexa to squeeze through.

She tugged her bag off of her back, dropping it to the ground in front of her before unzipping it. Pulling out some gloves that were sitting on top, Lexa pulled them on and searched through the rest of the contents. She couldn’t bring everything. But, Jake and Abby had given her plenty of options.

She strapped on a thigh holster, clipping the dart gun in safely. It would hopefully knock out anyone she used it against long enough for her to get in and get out of the building with Clarke. A few knives, a flashlight, a lock-picking kit, and some rope, and Lexa was ready to go.

The building was still silent, having fewer security guards in favor of the high tech security system. And Lexa was concerned about that, for obvious reasons. If she set off an alarm, the entire plan would go to hell.

That is, until another voice came crackling over the com system.

“You’re a fucking idiot. You know that, right, Woods?”

Lexa flinched at the voice. Jake and Abby must have contacted her as well in preparation for the rescue.

“Ah, Miss Reyes. I was wondering when you’d pop in,” Jake said cheerfully. “All set on your end?”

Raven grumbled something incoherent (a feat considering the com should have picked up her voice if she was wearing it). Lexa could hear some tapping on a keyboard followed by a quiet cheer of success. “Good to go. The system’s on a loop. Just make sure you don’t set off any motion sensors. Those are a little more tricky to disengage from a distance.”

“Thanks, Rae,” Lexa said quietly, getting ready to sneak in through Jake’s passage.

She could hear the anger in Raven’s voice when she answered. “Just get Clarke out of there. I’ll beat your ass when you get back.” Some more typing on Raven’s end. “I’ll let you know if I can get the other security systems down.”

“If?” Lexa asked teasingly. “Since when is anything an _if_ when it comes to you?” She inched her way forward, keeping an eye and an ear out for any movement around her.

“Well, I didn’t want to brag.”

Lexa chuckled lowly. “That’s new.”

“Shut up and go get your girl,” Raven said, a smile in her voice. So maybe, just maybe, Lexa was forgiven. She doubted it, but she could hope. As long as Clarke was safe, she was pretty sure the rest of them would get over her sneaking out.

“See you on the other side,” Lexa muttered before slipping through the hole in the fencing.

* * *

 

The halls were eerily quiet and empty as Lexa slunk through them with baited breath. While it was after work hours, she had anticipated running into at least a few night guards or late night workers while she trekked through.

But alas, she had run into no one. Apparently the Griffin’s intel was legit. But knowing Cage, he already knew she was there, and was tracking her every move, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

So Lexa kept a keen eye out on every flicker of light, every passing shadow, every small sound that she heard.

Still, there was nothing.

And she was almost at the room Jake and Abby were ninety-nine percent sure their daughter was being kept. Lexa only hoped that they were right.

The stunning rods were thrumming with life in her hands, ready to do their worst on anyone that jumped out at her or caught her off guard. Her fingers adjusted against them, tightening their hold. Just a little further, and she’d be able to see Clarke, to save Clarke.

The door was waiting there for her when she turned the final corner.

And so were fifteen armed guards, guns aimed directly at her.

_Well, shit._

Lexa’s breath froze in her chest for just a moment before she jerked back behind the corner. A gunshot rang out, and Lexa flinched as the bullet lodged itself in the wall right behind where she was just standing.

Except... it wasn’t a bullet. She looked closer at what was protruding out of the wall, and realize it was a small dart, with what she could only assume was some kind of tranquilizer in it.

_Lovely_. So apparently Cage wanted her alive, still. Which was only slightly surprising considering everything she had put him through so far.

She sighed in frustration and listened, waiting to hear any movement from the men waiting around the corner. She wouldn’t risk looking around the wall just yet. They all probably had their guns trained on where she would appear.

There were two options, as far Lexa could tell. One, turn around and try to find another way around to approach from behind. She tried to remember the blueprints Jake had showed her, and was pretty sure there weren’t any back halls that were available to her. Which left the air vents or maybe climbing up to a window outside. Neither of which seemed very plausible. 

So that meant option two.

Lexa took a deep breath, reattached one of her stunning rods to her belt, and reached for her own gun. She’d have to be quick, and maybe, just maybe, she’d make it to the other side.

She wasn’t hopeful.

“Rae,” she mumbled, just loud enough for the com to pick up her voice. It crackled to life in her ear, Raven letting her know she was listening. “Fifteen guards. Armed. Ready to shoot me at first sight. Any ideas before I just wing it?”

“Right,” Raven said quickly. “Give me a sec.”

Lexa was getting tired of waiting, if she was being honest. She had waited for Clarke to show back up, then she had waited in a cell, then she had waited in her own home, and now... Well, suffice it to say that she was sick and tired of waiting.

“You have thirty seconds,” she finally settled on. She started counting down in her head, pumping herself up with every second that passed. Lexa knew she was quick. She had trained with Anya on top of all of her soccer training. She could move fast and precisely.

The only problem was, Cage’s professional security team was probably trained even better.

“Ten seconds, Raven,” Lexa warned.

“Don’t rush me, Woods,” Raven ground out. Not a second later, the lights went out, leaving her in complete and utter darkness.

She only hoped her eyes adjusted before the guards’ did.

She shot out from behind the wall, shooting into the hall blindly. It only took seconds before they started firing back. But, she had a bigger target. They took up more space in the hall, while Lexa took up barely any.

A dart grazed her arm, tearing her sleeve and cutting into her skin.

She ran back behind the safety of the wall, catching her breath. She had no way of knowing how many guards were left. Her eyes hadn’t adjusted well enough to see much more than a few inches in front of her. She had expected the backup lights to have popped on, but Raven must have taken those out as well.

“A bit of a warning next time would be nice,” Lexa said through clenched teeth. Yes, it was a good idea. But if she had been expecting it, she may have been a little better prepared.

“Well what else would I have done?” Raven asked exasperatedly. Lexa could just imagine her throwing up her hands in frustration. “Drop the floor out from under them? There’s only so much I can do from a computer miles away, Lexa.”

“The floor idea could work.”

A scoff and then silence were her only response. Lexa held in her laugh. Of course the situation she was in was anything but funny. But Raven’s steady presence was a calming balm to her nerves. She could always count on Raven’s sass to be there.

Another breath, and Lexa knew what she had to do. She’d get nowhere if she didn’t go on the offensive again. She was low on darts - she’d be lucky to have maybe three left in her gun - and she was sure that there were quite a few of the guards still on their feet.

But she had to move, so move is what she did.

Lexa holstered her gun, took up her other stunning rod, and crept out from behind the wall, silent and sure not to alert the guards to her movements. The rods hummed quietly in her hands as Lexa inched forward, staring ahead for any sign of movement. She slid her feet across the tile, feeling for any bodies of knocked out guards in her way.

The moment her foot collided with something, Lexa swiped with her stunning rod, connecting with the man blocking her path. He fell to the ground with a thud, and the others moved around her.

Adrenaline pumped through Lexa, her heart pounding as she waited for any of them to move toward her. But they all seemed to freeze, waiting for her next move as well. While none of them could see anything, she was sure all of their guns were trained on the area the sound of the falling guard resonated from. Which was exactly where she was standing.

Lexa inched backward and to the side, feeling for anything in her way. Her foot hit the wall, immovable and sure, and Lexa leaned against it, catching her breath. She slid down the hall, her back pressed against the wall to guide her.

She froze when Raven spoke again, her voice low and barely audible. “I’m going to flash the lights back on. Only for a second, but long enough to figure out where everyone is around you. Get ready.” She paused, letting Lexa prepare. “Three... two... one.” The lights flashed on, just long enough for Lexa to count six guards still standing, one directly in front of her, with his back to her.

The lights went out again, and then there were five guards standing. Lexa had caught the guard this time, lowering him to the floor quietly. She moved quickly away from that spot, sure the other guards had probably seen her, even if they were too slow to realize what they had seen.

She moved around the body on the floor, out into the center of the hall. The door to Clarke was just a few more yards away, but she knew she needed to get the rest of the guards out of the way first.

Shuffling alerted her to movement just behind her, and Lexa swung out, her stunning rod ramming into the ribs of another guard.

He fell to the floor with a thud, a garbled groan falling out of his lips.

A dart whizzed past Lexa’s ear, barely missing her. She ducked down quickly, poised and ready to launch into another attack should anyone draw near. And she waited. No one seemed to want to move as the seconds ticked by.

Lexa reattached her rods to her belt, instead unholstering her gun again. She reached for the body beside her, fingers groping for his arm before trailing down and finding his gun held loosely in his hand. Taking it from him, Lexa held both of the guns out in front of her.

She took a calming breath, hoping this wasn’t the stupidest decision she had made all night, and then fired rapidly, rotating from her spot to circle around herself.

One. Two. A round of darts sounded, hitting the wall well above Lexa’s head.

And three. The guards were all down, by her count, and Lexa stood back up. “Lights,” she mumbled.

The lights flickered back on, and Lexa squinted through the sudden brightness, letting her eyes adjust again. She looked around herself quickly and saw that each of the guards were on the floor, seemingly dead except for the slow breaths each of them took.

Lexa sighed in relief and spun around. Clarke’s door was only feet away, beckoning her closer.

She heard the soft click of the door unlocking as she drew closer, and Lexa could only hope that this wasn’t another trap. She had to take the risk, though. Clarke could be on the other side of the door, waiting for someone to come save her. She could have been hurt, or could even currently be getting hurt, and Lexa had to stop whatever it was that had happened to Clarke from happening again.

So she pushed the door open, the room beyond lit by a single dim fluorescent light on the ceiling.

And there was Clarke. Smaller than Lexa had ever remembered seeing her, even after she had showed up at Lexa’s dorm, broken and bloody, all those months ago.

Clarke lay curled up on her side, facing the wall on a small cot in the corner. Her breaths were shallow but steady, and Lexa could hear the rasp on each inhale that hinted at something much worse happening inside.

Her quick steps echoed against the empty walls as Lexa walked forward. She knelt down by the cot, her hand finding solid purchase on Clarke’s shoulder. She breathed a sigh of relief. She had half expected it to be an illusion, something to draw Lexa into the room. But when Clarke stirred, slowly rolling over to look up at Lexa, fear and anxiety making her dull gaze tremble, Lexa knew for certain that this was real.

Clarke was real, and in front of her, and hurt _again_. And Lexa had to get her out of there as quickly as she could.

“Can you walk?” Lexa asked lowly, barely able to contain her emotions and keep her voice steady. Clarke nodded and pushed herself up, wincing in pain with the movement. Lexa reached up, cupping Clarke’s cheek in her hand as she stared up at her. “What did they do to you, Clarke?” she asked sadly. 

Clarke reached her own hand up, grabbing Lexa’s and holding it against her cheek. She turned her head slowly, brushing her lips against Lexa’s palm. “Later,” she croaked out, her voice cracking and barely more than a gasp.

Lexa nodded and stood to her feet, helping Clarke to stand as well. “We have to be quick.” She handed Clarke one of her guns. “Take this. Any sign of movement, shoot. We can’t risk being caught.”

Clarke took the gun, her hand wrapping around it familiarly. Lexa turned to lead the way out of the room, but barely got one step before Clarke’s free hand wrapped around Lexa’s wrist, spinning her back around. “One thing, first.” Lexa’s brow furrowed in confusion, the question forming on her lips, but Clarke’s lips against her own erased even the thought of that question from her mind. A moment later, Clarke pulled back, her lips brushing against Lexa’s as she whispered, “Thank you.”

Lexa swallowed thickly and nodded. “I couldn’t leave you here,” she said, her voice steadier than she expected.

Clarke nodded as well, her eyes searching Lexa’s for just a moment, before she nodded again. “Lead the way.”

Only faltering for a moment, Lexa spun on her heel and led Clarke out of the room, their hands firmly clasped together. 

* * *

 

The journey out of Weather Corp. was even quieter than the trek in. Lexa couldn’t believe it was just a coincidence, but she wouldn’t think much more about it. She was able to get Clarke out of that place, and that was what mattered just then.

They broke through the tree line, Clarke leaning heavily against Lexa’s side, her breathing even more labored with the strain of walking. Her arm was slung over Lexa’s shoulder as Lexa’s held firmly around her waist, providing as much support as she could. But Clarke’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw who was waiting for them.

“Mom?” she asked, her voice shaky. “Dad?” She tried to take a step toward them, but her legs wobbled under her, her strength finally giving out.

Lexa jerked forward, as did both Abby and Jake. But Lexa, having been so much closer, caught Clarke. She scooped her up, her own adrenaline making the move easier, and carried Clarke closer to her parents. Abby and Jake met them halfway across the small clearing.

“Clarke, baby, are you okay?” Abby asked, her hands skimming over Clarke’s face. Lexa held Clarke tighter to her, Jake’s and Abby’s worry just igniting her own all over again.

“Let’s get her in the car. We need to get out of here and get her help,” Lexa said, tone clipped. She didn’t mean to sound short with them. They had, after all, all been worried over Clarke. And if it weren’t for Abby and Jake, Lexa wouldn’t have been able to get Clarke out of there. But the reunions could happen elsewhere.

Abby looked up at her sharply, as if she was going to tell Lexa off for hurrying her, but then Jake’s hand landed softly on Abby’s shoulder. Abby’s ire drifted away on a breath. “You’re right. Of course. Not the time.”

“Not the time,” Lexa repeated. They shared a small smile before Abby pulled away and moved to the car quickly, pulling the back door open. Lexa followed her and carefully maneuvered Clarke into the back seat, laying her across the flat surface. “I’ll follow you,” she said as she helped Clarke adjust so she was laying more comfortably. Clarke’s eyes widened in fear, her hand reaching out to grasp at Lexa’s shirt before Lexa could move away.

“Where are you going?” Her voice trembled, and Lexa had to fight the urge to crawl into the car to hold Clarke, cocooning her from the world.

Instead, she smiled softly and ran her fingers gently down Clarke’s face. “Someone has to get your bike back home.” She tried to pull away again, assuming that was answer enough, but Clarke just held onto her harder. Her fingers shook with the effort.

“Leave it,” she begged. “Just leave it.” And she looked so broken, so afraid, that Lexa almost agreed. Almost.

“That bike is your baby. We’re not leaving it behind,” Lexa said, a tone of teasing in her voice. The number of times she had seen Clarke outside, cleaning her bike as she waited for Lexa after a class or after practice was ridiculous. And she knew Clarke would be upset later if they left it behind.

“Get in, Lexa,” Jake said behind her. She looked over her shoulder at him, a silent question in her eyes. He smiled at her, genuinely happy, though the worry still shone through. “I’ll drive it. Just stay with Clarke.”

Lexa nodded her thanks, climbing in and helping Clarke adjust so she was curled up on the back seat, her head resting on Lexa’s lap.

Jake leaned in and pressed a kiss to Clarke’s forehead, his thumb brushing against the spot softly as he pulled back. He gave her one last, lingering look before stepping away and closing the door. Lexa watched as he hugged Abby, both of them weary and tired, but looking like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. They had their daughter back, and Lexa felt a pang of guilt for separating Jake from her so soon, but it soon passed as Jake waved at her with a wink before he pulled Clarke’s helmet on and started her bike, zooming off ahead of them.

Abby climbed into the car after Jake was out of sight, starting it up. “He’ll meet us there,” she said, her voice soft. “Is she asleep?” Abby turned in her seat, looking down at her daughter with sad eyes. They would all feel better once they knew Clarke’s injuries were taken care of.

Lexa’s fingers trailed through Clarke’s hair gently, and when she looked down, Clarke was out. Her breathing was still shallow, and every breath still rattled shakily, but she was alive and asleep and _safe_. Lexa nodded to answer Abby’s question, and the woman turned around, driving away from the clearing.

“Where are we going?” Lexa asked a while later. They were headed back to the town, as far as she could tell, but she wasn’t sure if her apartment was the best place to go. It was too easy for Cage to find out where she lived. They wouldn’t be truly safe there.

Abby seemed to have thought of that. “Back to town. The tower is well hidden and will be a safe place for her to heal.”

Lexa agreed. No one knew about the tower, except for those who had been there. And, for some reason, only the Griffin’s seemed to be able to find it.

Clarke jerked up suddenly, cringing and grasping at her ribs in pain. Her eyes looked panicked as they darted between Abby and Lexa.

Abby, startled, looked back at her in the review mirror. Lexa tried to reach out to her to calm her down, but Clarke just waved her off.

“Clarke, what’s wrong?” Abby asked quickly. Lexa could tell she was thinking about pulling over, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.

“The tower,” Clarke gasped out. “Mom, Cage has the key.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaaa??? What does it even mean that Cage has the key?? Why would he want it? What’s going to happen to Jake? Are they going to figure it all out??
> 
> Also, Lexa kicking ass. Am I right? So good. 
> 
> Comments/questions/theories/kudos are always loved. Find the blog for this on tumblr @starkeepersguide. You can yell at me there, too haha


	31. XXX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A race against time, some answers, and an ultimatum.

The key, as it turned out, wasn’t just the small bronze key that Clarke had used to get into the tower when she had showed it to Lexa. While that was the literal key to the front door, which Cage had also taken, _the key_ was what made the tower actually appear.

“Shit,” Abby muttered. She pressed her foot down harder on the gas, speeding the car on toward town. “How did he get it? How did he know where it was?”

“I don’t—“ Clarke cut herself off, her brow furrowing as she tried to think back. “He... I don’t remember.” She rubbed a spot on her chest as if it was hurting her. Lexa watched her worriedly. If they were headed to the tower, and Cage was most likely already there, then Clarke definitely shouldn’t be with them. She was in no shape for more trauma.

“We need somewhere else to go, then,” Lexa said. She looked between Clarke and Abby. Both wore grim expressions on their faces. “We can’t go to the tower if Cage is already there.”

Clarke’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. “Mom. Dad’s going to the tower.”

Lexa reached out and grabbed Clarke’s arm soothingly. “It’s alright. We have a com. We can let him know not to—“

“No,” Abby cut her off, eyes wide in fear. “We had the system hooked up in here. He doesn’t have a personal com.”

“A phone?” Lexa tried.

Abby looked to the passenger’s seat where a single cellphone was resting.

And Lexa knew in that moment that she had lost the fight of not going to the tower. Both Abby and Clarke stared ahead, minds already made up. They were going straight to the tower.

And straight into Cage Wallace’s hands.

Again.

* * *

 

The car skidded to a halt outside of the tower, clearly visible on the street, though none of the passersby seemed to really notice it. They all avoided the spot without a second glance, their eyes glancing right over the tall brick building.

Clarke’s bike sat alone, her helmet resting on the seat. Jake wasn’t there.

“Shit,” Abby said. She threw the door open and jumped out of the car, ready to storm into the tower to get Jake.

“Mom, wait!” Clarke called, scrambling out of the car quickly and following after Abby. She grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. Lexa followed, her heart thundering in her chest. They were walking into another trap. She knew they were walking into a trap. She was pretty sure that both Clarke and Abby knew they were walking into a trap.

And yet there they were. Walking right into it.

“Clarke, we can’t wait. Your father is in there by himself.” Her eyes stayed trained on the tower, focused on the door that was cracked just slightly open.

Clarke eyes were begging her to listen. “It’s not _time_ yet, Mom. Not for you. And not for Lexa.” Her eyes darted to Lexa quickly before looking back at her mom.

Abby’s shoulders drooped and she stopped trying to move toward the door. “You always knew better than me when it came to that.”

“I know,” Clarke said, chuckling a wet laugh. Lexa looked at her and saw the tears glistening in her eyes. She had a sinking feeling in her gut, and her instincts were yelling at her to grab Clarke and run as far away from the tower as possible.

“So, what?” Abby asked, her voice shaking. “We just wait out here and hope for the best?”

Clarke shook her head. “You can feel it, right?”

Lexa was completely lost. Abby and Clarke might as well have been speaking in a different language as far as she was concerned.

Abby nodded. “It’s still alive.”

“But it won’t be for long if I don’t go in there.”

_That_ Lexa understood. “You’re not going anywhere, Clarke,” she said firmly. She stepped toward them, her shoulders squared and her jaw set. She wasn’t budging on this one. She had just gotten Clarke out of Cage’s grasp, and she wasn’t going to let her go waltzing back into it.

Clarke looked over at her, eyes sad but an amused glint sparking in them. “I was wondering how long you were going to stay quiet.”

She wasn’t going to be distracted by the barb. “Whatever it is you’re talking about, you’re not going in there. Cage is in there. You know, the guy you _just_ got away from?”

“Yes,” Clarke said placatingly, as if trying to calm a wounded animal. “But my father is in there as well. As are... well, as are some very important things that Cage _cannot_ get his hands on.”

“Whatever they are, they aren’t as important as your life,” Lexa argued.

Clarke smiled sadly. “Yes they are. Far more important than it, in fact.”

The next moment, Clarke’s wrist was held firmly in Lexa’s hand. She hadn’t even realized that she reached forward, her body having moved seemingly on it’s own accord. “You are _not_ going in there, Clarke. I refuse.”

“You don’t really have a choice on this one, Lex.” She didn’t try to pull her arm out of Lexa’s grip, but Lexa could tell that she was only going to give Lexa so much longer before she got free.

“Then you better tell me why. I deserve that much,” Lexa said, glaring at Clarke. Because she had just risked her ass to save her. She had her heart fucking broken by her already, and she wasn’t going to let Clarke just walk away again. 

She had thought Clarke had died, and she had just gotten her back, and now Clarke wanted her to just let her go again without any fucking explanation _why_.

And Lexa was fed up with it. She was done with waiting for explanations. She wasn’t going to let Clarke do it. Not right then. Not when Lexa finally had her back in her arms.

“Lexa, it’s—“

“Complicated, I know,” Lexa finished. She still stared at her expectantly. ‘Complicated’ wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

Clarke chewed on her lip, her eyes darting between Lexa’s. Abby kept looking between them and the tower, her own anxiety showing clearly in her jerky movements. “We don’t have time for this,” she said, motioning toward the tower. “Jake’s in there already, and Cage could already have them.”

“Have _what_?” Lexa all but screamed.

“These,” an oily voice said. They all looked toward the tower, to Cage standing just outside the door, holding up one of the small cubes that Clarke had used before.

Clarke and Abby froze in place, their eyes locked on the cube in Cage’s hand. Lexa watched on, trying to work out the pieces of the puzzle in front of her. Those cubes were Clarke’s work. She apparently kept them in her mysterious disappearing tower. Cage wanted them. And Jake...

One of Cage’s guards pushed Jake out of the tower, holding him with an arm twisted behind his back. He didn’t look hurt other than the strain in his face. That was a good sign. Maybe Cage had just captured him without harming him. Maybe he got what he wanted and was going to let them all go. Maybe—

“And now that all three of the Griffin’s decided to grace me with their presence,” his eyes darted to Lexa with a sickening grin, “your work here is done.”

An arm wrapped around Lexa’s neck from behind, dragging her back and away from Clarke. And, try as she might, Lexa couldn’t keep her hold on Clarke’s arm. Clarke struggled to grab at her, to pull her back, but Abby wrapped her own arms around Clarke’s waist and held her back.

Lexa fought. Her fingers scratched at the arm holding her, her feet kicked at the legs of whoever it was. But it was to no avail. She couldn’t get free.

She stopped fighting when Cage spoke up again. “I should really thank you, Lexa. For bringing me Clarke. And then bringing me good old Mom and Dad.” He looked between Abby and Jake. “You two are incredibly hard to find, do you know that? Even more so than your daughter.”

Jake growled at him. “Let them go.”

Cage laughed, his face twisted into a malevolent smile. “Where would the fun be in that, Mr. Griffin? We just found you. And,” he held up the cube again, “these. When we carved out the key from dear Clarke, we hardly expected these to be what we found. But we are so happy that you did decide to keep them here. It makes our jobs so much easier.”

He snapped his fingers and three more men walked out of the tower, each carrying a box full of what appeared to be more of the small cubes.

“You don’t know what you’re doing, Cage,” Clarke said, her tone beseeching. “Please, you don’t understand.”

Cage clicked his tongue. “I think I do. They hold a power greater than any produced here on earth. These,” this time he tossed the cube up and caught it in his other hand, “hold the power of the stars.”

“It’s more than that. Please—“ Clarke tried again, almost begging. Her eyes watered, tears threatening to streak down her cheeks. She kept looking between Cage, the boxes that the men were carrying away, toward a car parked down the street, and Lexa.

Every time her eyes landed on her, Lexa’s heart broke a little more. Clarke looked so broken. So afraid. So _trapped_.

“Shut up,” Cage drawled, cutting off Clarke’s pleading. “With these, Weather Corp will be unstoppable. The possibilities are endless. And with you three...” He smirked, looking between the Griffin’s. “Well, I’m sure you have more of these somewhere in the world. And once we collect the other two keys, we’ll be able to find them.”

“How did you figure out where they were?” Abby asked. She was stalling. Lexa could tell she was stalling, and she was pretty sure Cage could, too. 

Cage rolled his eyes. “ _The hearts of the worlds are the keepers’ to hold_ ,” he quoted. “At first, I thought the hearts only referred to the stars. Even my father thought as such. But then I thought,” he tapped his chest, right over his own heart, “maybe it was a little closer to home than that.”

Clarke reached up and rubbed that spot on her chest again. 

Lexa had a sickening feeling that she understood exactly what Cage meant.

“It’s actually kind of sick, if you think about it,” Cage continued conversationally as he walked closer to them. “Burying a key to the stars in your own chests. In the chests of your children. And people say _I’m_ twisted.” He stopped right in front of Clarke and Abby. “Though, it was rather brilliant. All it took was one of you being in close enough proximity for it all to unlock. You’d never misplace the key, never lose it on accident. Well,” he smiled, feigning remorse, “unless someone knew where to cut.”

He reached out and pressed his finger hard against the spot Clarke had been rubbing. Clarke winced in pain, cringing away from his hand. “Right. There.” His smile twisted again, and Lexa had truly never seen anything uglier.

“Don’t touch her!” she yelled out, her struggles renewed.

Cage looked up to her disinterestedly. “I thought you’d be pleased, Miss Woods. Now that we have these, we have no need for you or your father.”

“Piece of shit,” she bit out, still fighting against the arms holding her.

Cage tutted at her. “That’s no way to speak to someone, Lexa.” He moved around Clarke and Abby, not even bothering worrying about them running away. Then he was in front of Lexa, mere inches away from her face. “It’d be best for you to forget about all of this, Lexa. To leave and never look back. Forget about Clarke, about the tower, about everything. I don’t think I need to warn you, but,” his smile dropped into a threatening scowl, “meddling anymore in this _will_ get you killed.” He lifted his right arm, twisting so it was aimed behind him, and Lexa’s heart froze. “Which is more than I can say about your girlfriend.”

The gunshot was deafening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so don’t hate me. Stick it out. Please. Things are going to be okay. Trust me. Happy endings are my jam. 
> 
> Also, anyone have any ideas?? Because SO many clues dropped. So many. Like, you’re going to think about them after all this is over and realize just how blatant they were. So throw some theories at me! (Or yell and scream because of that cliffie.)
> 
> Come follow this story’s tumblr @starkeepersguide for updates and some spoilers every now and then!


	32. XXXI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reinforcements, pauses, and answers.

The gun flew out of Cage’s hand, landing with a clatter on the ground. Cage pulled his hand to his chest, howling in pain.

People on the street scattered, screaming and running away from the sound of gunfire. Lexa couldn’t blame them, even if she wished that someone would have had the guts to come help them.

That someone, it turned out, was Anya. And Raven. And Octavia and Lincoln.

Anya had rolled out from behind a car at Cage’s words, aiming and shooting without a second thought. If she had waited just a second longer... Lexa trembled at the thought. 

The guard that had been holding Lexa tight loosened his grip in shock just enough for Lexa to slip out of his hold. She elbowed him in the gut before twisting away and thrusting the heel of her hand up and against his nose, breaking it and sending the man to the ground.

She spun on her heel and ran to Clarke, grabbing her into her arms. Clarke shook in her hold, the shock of thinking she was about to be shot clearly taking a toll on her. Lexa covered her as much as possible, looking around to try to find a way out.

Which was going to be incredibly difficult, as all hell had broken loose in the aftermath of Anya’s shot.

Jake got to them just a moment later, his guard having apparently been thrown off in the confusion as well. Abby clung to him, her own eyes darting around, calculating.

Her friends were running toward them, trying to beat Cage’s men to them. Lexa’s eyes darted to the Griffin’s car, but that was blocked off by several of Cage’s guards. They seemed to be multiplying the longer they stood there, and by the time her friends had reached them, Cage’s men surrounded them.

Cage was still yelling, his orders mingling with shouts of pain. He held his hand tightly to his chest, trying to stave off the blood flow by pressing it into his shirt. The growing red stain proved he wasn’t very successful in his efforts.

“What’s the plan?” Anya asked, her gun pointing from one man to another, ready to shoot at even the slightest sign of aggression. The other three held weapons of their own, though slightly less helpful unless they were involved in a close range fight. Octavia and Lincoln covered Abby and Jake, blocking the guards’ paths to them.

“How did you find us?” Lexa asked.

Raven, standing on Lexa’s side opposite Anya, said quickly, “Your phone. I heard your conversation about the key and the tower through the com. Luckily, you kept your phone on you, and I was able to track you here. We got here as soon as we could.”

“Enough!” Cage raged. He stalked forward, breaking the barrier of his guards and storming toward their group. Lexa held Clarke tighter to her. She’d be damned if she let Cage do anything to her. Clarke stood stiffly in her arms, the initial shock having worn off.

“Give me the Griffin’s,” he demanded. When none of them moved, his anger seemed to multiply. “Now!”

“No,” Clarke said softly. She pushed away from Lexa’s chest, though Lexa tried to hold onto her. Clarke looked up at her determinedly and pushed her away. She looked back at Cage. “No. You don’t need the Griffin’s.”

“Clarke, no,” Abby said defeatedly. Jake looked on grimly. Apparently they knew exactly what Clarke was insinuating, even if no one else seemed to.

Lexa felt her stomach drop out at the fear she saw in Abby’s eyes.

Clarke held her hand up, silently telling her mother to stop talking. She walked out of the safety of their group, standing face to face with Cage. Lexa had to fight off her urge to grab her back. “You don’t need the Griffin’s. You just need one.” Cage quirked a brow at her, a muscle in his jaw ticking in anger. “Me.”

“Explain,” Cage said curtly.

Clarke breathed deeply, gathering her thoughts. “I am Abby and Jake Griffin’s daughter,” she started. “Two halves come whole. I have held a key that was created by two in me my whole life. But, it’s bound to me. To my blood. My soul. For the key to work, you need me there.”

Cage’s eyes lit up in realization. His twisted smile was back. “You can open the other towers,” he surmised.

“She’s lying,” Jake murmured, just loud enough for Lexa to hear.

“For the souls of many...” Abby whispered, her voice cracking. Lexa glanced at her quickly and noticed her eyes shining with tears.

Clarke, chin held high, nodded.

“Guards!” Cage barked. Four men ran forward, surrounding Clarke before Lexa could so much as push past Anya’s outstretched arm.

It was happening again. She was losing her _again_.

Clarke, barely visible through the men surrounding her, looked back at Lexa, meeting her eyes. Her blue eyes seemed sadder. Sadder than Lexa had ever seen them.

“It’s time,” Clarke mouthed to her. She reached out her hand, slipping it between two of the guards, and touched the cube Cage was still holding in his hands.

The cube imploded, pulling in on itself, before breaking apart, a blinding light building from it and surrounding all of them.

* * *

 

“Lexa.”

Lexa grunted, moving her shoulder out from under the hand that was shaking it. She didn’t want to wake up. She was having the strangest dream, and she really wanted to figure out what was about to happen.

The hand shook her again. “Lexa, love. I really need you to wake up. Please.”

Lexa cracked her eyes open, looking up at Clarke. Clarke, who had been in her dream. Who had _starred_ in her dream. But, if that was a dream, how was Clarke there, leaning over her in the real world?

Lexa felt beside her, her hand scrambling for her sheets to try to cover her face from the blinding light. Her fingers scratched against the hard concrete below her.

“Not a dream?” she finally asked.

Clarke smiled fondly down at her. “No, not a dream.” She helped Lexa sit up. “We need to be quick, though. We don’t have much time.”

And there it was again - _time_. “Clarke, what’s happening? Where are we?” She looked around them and could only see light. Bright, warm, all consuming, light. “Are we dead?”

Clarke chuckled. “Oh no. I wouldn’t let that happen. But we are in... let’s call it a suspended state. The others are still out cold.” She motioned beside Lexa to Raven and Anya. “They’ll be waking up soon, though.”

Lexa nodded. “How do we get out of this? What are you doing?” Suddenly anger flared up in Lexa’s chest, bubbling out of her. “You parents said that you were lying. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Leaning forward, Clarke cupped Lexa’s cheek gently. “You’re always so protective, aren’t you?”

“What—“

“Am I talking about. I know. You’re confused. None of this makes sense. Mom and Dad can explain more later. But I needed to let you know...” She trailed off, biting her lip. Then she took a deep breath, centering herself, before plowing on. “I needed to let you know that I love you. I always have, and I always will. In every lifetime, no matter what. But, I’m afraid I’ve messed this one up.” She bit her trembling lower lip, her eyes shining with tears. “I’ve messed this one up really badly.”

Lexa shook her head rapidly, climbing to her knees and cupping Clarke’s face between her hands. “No, no, no. Clarke, no. You didn’t mess this up. You’re okay. _We’re_ okay. We’re going to get out of this. _Together_.”

Clarke turned her head, kissing Lexa’s palm, a tear falling breaking the damn that was holding the rest in. She began to cry freely as she looked back up at Lexa. “I don’t think we can this time, Lexa.”

“ _Why_?” Lexa asked, her own voice trembling with unshed tears. “Why can’t we get out of this? Leave now and hide?”

“I can’t. Those boxes... They hold far more important things than me.”

“The power of the stars,” Lexa said. “Yeah, Cage said all that. But it’s just energy, Clarke. It’s just something someone made. We can figure out how to get them away from Cage. But we need to regroup. We need to heal and figure out a plan and—“

“No, Lexa,” Clarke cut her off. “I can’t leave them with him for even a moment. If he opens one of them, he’ll destroy more than you could imagine.”

“Then explain it to me, Clarke. Because from where I’m sitting, nothing could be as important as your life.”

Clarke looked up at her, her tears still trailing down her cheeks. Lexa wiped them away with her thumbs, staring back imploringly. She couldn’t let her go. Not again.

“They aren’t man made,” Clarke started. “Stars are made up of more than fire and gas. They’re made of more than what scientists have told you. They’re made up of two souls brought together. Every time a cycle starts anew, the star grows dimmer. They begin to fade. Until each soul has touched them, until they come together again, it continues to fade. Some are stronger than others, and stay bright longer. But they do eventually darken. They fade.

“But once those souls do come together, once they find one another, no matter how passively...” Clarke trailed off. “We keep watch. We keep the stars. We make sure those souls _do_ come together, at least to touch their star, even if they never meet in their current life. To keep their cycles alive. To keep them going so they can find each other again in the next one.”

“Wait. Are you saying...” Lexa couldn’t finish the thought. The cube she and Clarke had touched. The one she had Octavia and Lincoln touch. Her mention of Anya’s and Raven’s time...

Clarke nodded. “And I just used ours, the one Cage was holding... It was ours and I used it to do this. To give us a chance. To stop time for just a moment so I could say goodbye.”

“What do you mean goodbye?” Lexa asked, her own tears beginning to fall. “I’m not letting you go. I _can’t_ let you go. Not now. Clarke, I—“

“I know.” She pressed her forehead against Lexa’s, her breath ghosting against Lexa’s lips. “But I can’t let him take the stars away. All of those people. All of their lives. If their stars go out... if they don’t get the chance to ignite it in this life... they’ll die, Lexa. Every last one of them. Their stars will go out, and their cycles will end, and they’ll die.”

“But what you just did...”

“I know,” Clarke gasped out, choking on a sob. “I know. And I just found you this time.”

“Does that mean...?”

“I don’t know,” Clarke admitted, voice cracking. “No one has ever actually done it. But I can’t waste it. I can’t waste you. You have to get out of here. Take everyone and run. I’ll stop Cage. I’ll finish this once and for all.” She pushed her hand to cup the back of Lexa’s neck, holding her to her. “My parents will know what to do with the stars. They’ll keep them safe. They’ll make sure you’re all safe. I’m sorry I didn’t explain all of this earlier. You weren’t ready to hear it yet. Everything has a time, a place, that it’s supposed to happen each life cycle. And starkeepers’ soulmates... they’re different. More complicated. Everything has to be done just right. But maybe I should have just told you before... before all of this.”

“Clarke, no. Let me help—“

“You can’t, Lexa.” Her tone was firm, but her voice was so soft. So incredibly sad. “You can’t help me with this. I won’t let you. You have so much life to live.”

“So do you. With _me_ ,” Lexa sobbed out. She couldn’t let Clarke do it. She couldn’t let her sacrifice herself. Not because of some deranged, power-hungry psychopath.

Clarke shook her head, her nose brushing against Lexa’s with each pass. “I wish I did, Lexa.” She pushed forward, pressing a kiss to Lexa’s lips. “Remember me, alright?” She stood swiftly, breaking her contact with Lexa without so much as a warning.

Lexa reached out, but her legs felt heavy and uncooperative. She couldn’t stand. She couldn’t stop her. “Clarke, no! Clarke, please. Please don’t leave me! I love you!”

But it was too late. The light was already dimming around them, and Clarke looked back at her one last time, her smile sad as the tears continued to trail down her cheeks. “I love you, too.”

The light faded, and the world started moving again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo some answers? Maybe some, anyway. How are we feeling about it? Are you all ready for the final chapter next time? The end? The time has come for all the answers and explanations. Sort of. Maybe. Perhaps. 
> 
> Follow this story’s tumblr @starkeepersguide for updates, some clues every now and then, and to chat. It’s a grand time.


	33. XXXII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

“What did you just do?” Cage asked suspiciously, looking at his empty hand after getting back to his feet. “Where did it go?” he asked furiously.

“Away,” Clarke answered. Her voice still shook, but she sounded steadier than Lexa felt. Lexa, who was kneeling on the ground, tears still silently falling. Because Clarke was still alive, and she still had time to stop this. She could still change her mind. Or stop Cage. Or do _something_ to stop this insane path.

She wiped at her eyes furiously and stood to her feet. Cage was still glowering at Clarke, his anger rippling off him in waves. Clarke stared him down defiantly, her gaze steady and her chin held high.

Lexa had to stop this. _Now_.

“Wallace!” she shouted, yelling over his own furious ranting. 

He stopped his tirade and looked past Clarke and his guards to Lexa. Clarke looked over her shoulder, silently begging that she’d stop. Lexa ignored the look, ignored the way Clarke’s eyes bore into her soul and pleaded with her.

Instead, Lexa took a step closer. And then another. And another. 

None of the guards seemed to know what to do. Not a single one of them moved, eyes all trained on either her or their boss. Cage continued to stare her down, his eyes wide and looking insane.

“What do you want, Woods?” he ground out through his teeth. He was looking more and more deranged as the minutes passed. And each step that Lexa took made him twitch.

“Lexa,” Clarke breathed out. Perhaps she knew what Lexa was about to do. But maybe not. It didn’t matter anyway. Because Lexa _was_ _not_ going to let her sacrifice herself. Not in this life. Not if she could help it.

So Lexa did the only thing she could. She lifted her hand, aiming directly between Cage’s eyes, and said, “Bang.”

Then she pulled the trigger.

Cage’s eyes went wide just a moment before his body fell to the ground.

Everyone around her stood frozen, jaws slack in shock.

Lexa let her arm fall back down to her side, putting her gun back in its holster on her thigh. The dart stuck straight out of Cage’s forehead, deeper than it probably should have been, but close range is always risky.

She turned her head calmly, her steady stance intimidating. “Get away from her. Now.”

Each of the four men surrounding Clarke stepped away, moving instead toward their boss.

“Take him back to Dante. Tell him that if he ever comes near someone I love again, he will not be as lucky as he was this time.”

Two of the men picked up Cage, carrying him between them as they ran to their car.

“Wait!” Lexa yelled after them. She took heavy, confident steps toward them. Sure, she was surrounded by Cage’s men. And yes, they could all take her down any second. But she had just spared the heir to their company. She had let him live when she could have easily killed him. So they owed her. And they _would_ listen. “We’ll be taking those boxes back. In fact, just to make sure that you don’t get away with _anything_ that you tried to take, you’ll be walking home.”

They glared at her menacingly, but Lexa didn’t back down. She stared them down until they were cowed, walking away with their tails between their legs. 

“If you’re not out of range in the next two minutes, I’ll be sending a much different message to Weather Corp.,” she warned threateningly. She walked over to Anya and took her gun, aiming it after the three figures. “All of you! Get out of here!” she shouted.

All of Cage’s guards, maybe thirty of them in total, ran down the road, away from Lexa. Away from the tower. Away from the stars.

Lexa waited only until the last of the guards were out of sight before she dropped her arm and let the gun slip from her fingers. Her friends, Jake and Abby stood around her, staring at her in awe. But she didn’t care about them. Not right then.

No, she only had one person on her mind. 

She looked to Clarke, her gaze softening as she found her whole and unharmed. (Well, no more harmed than she had been previously.) She took the few steps she needed to be right in front of her, eyes sweeping over every inch, from her blonde head to her sneakers, and back up again.

“I couldn’t let you do it,” she said lowly, her voice raspy.

Clarke shook her head, her brows furrowed as she searched Lexa’s eyes. “You couldn’t have known that would work. That _shouldn’t_ have worked.”

Lexa shrugged. “Lucky guess?”

Clarke shoved her away angrily. “Lucky guess?” she repeated. “Lucky fucking guess? You could have been killed, Lexa!”

“Oh, and you weren’t about to sacrifice your own life?” Lexa challenged. She rubbed her shoulder where Clarke had shoved her. 

“That was different!” Clarke pointed at her accusingly. “That was completely different and you know it. They could have killed everyone here because of what you did.”

Lexa threw her hands out around her. “They probably would have killed us all anyway, Clarke! Do you really think Cage was just going to let us go knowing that we would try to get you back again?”

“Oh, and you think he’s just going to let us all go now that you’ve fucking _shot_ him?”

“ _Of_ _course_ not,” Lexa said angrily. “But once I tell my father—“

“Oh what are you, fucking Draco Malfoy now?” Clarke yelled. She shoved into Lexa’s face, their noses almost grazing as she scowled at her.

Lexa rolled her eyes. _This_ was the thanks she got for saving everyone? Sure, it may not have been ideal. But now they had time to figure out an actual plan that didn’t involve Clarke offering herself up as the prized ham.

“If you would just let me speak, damnit,” Lexa ground out.

Clarke continued to glare at her, but stepped back and waved her hand expectantly. “By all means.” She crossed her arms angrily and watched Lexa.

Lexa fought the urge to just turn and walk away. The woman was absolutely _infuriating_. “My father,” she ground out, “is one of the most brilliant technologists in the world. Weather Corp. has been trying to get him on their payroll for years. My _mother_ is the best lawyer in the whole damn country. Now that we have time, which, you’re welcome by the way.” Her glare narrowed on Clarke. “We can actually get their whole fucking company brought down rather than just one head of the hydra.”

“Oh, and you thought of all that in the seconds between me sparking our cube and deciding you wanted to shoot Cage in the face?” Clarke said.

Lexa barked out a laugh, and Clarke’s lips twitched just slightly with the threat of a smile. “I’ve wanted to shoot him in the face since high school, love.”

“Haven’t we all?” Anya asked from behind her, making Raven burst into laughter. The others followed shortly after, all overwhelmed with emotion and relief now that they were out of danger.

Lexa took a step closer to Clarke, firmly in her space again. She rested her hands on Clarke’s waist, noting with joy the smile that was still tugging at the corners of her lips. “Am I forgiven now?” she asked quietly so that only Clarke could hear.

Clarke let her arms fall to her sides exasperatedly, heaving a heavy sigh. “Well, you did just save my life.”

“Yeah,” Lexa said with a smirk. “Yeah, I did.”

Clarke laughed and swung her arms up around Lexa’s neck pulling her down into a passionate kiss.

When they broke apart, Clarke kept their lips barely touching, their breath mingling. “I love you, you idiot,” Clarke whispered for only her to hear.

“I love you, too.”

Clarke’s lips were back on hers, and Lexa was home.

* * *

 

It turned out that, though Clarke pretended she knew everything, she didn’t, in fact, know _everything_.

A prime example was something that Jake and Abby disclosed to them after they had returned all of the star cubes back into the tower. They were resting outside, the others having gone home just moments before, and Jake and Abby preparing to head out as well. Clarke’s hand was held in Lexa’s, where Lexa wanted it to be for the rest of her life.

“Wait, what?” Clarke asked, clearly surprised. “But I thought—“

“You thought wrong, honey,” Abby said, a hint of teasing in her voice. “It’s not gone forever. At least, not this time.”

“So you’re saying that this man, this guide, can fix it.”

“Well, not exactly,” Jake said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “He won’t be able to fix it, as it’s not actually broken. It’s gone. But the star...” He pointed up to the sky, where their star was still burning brightly. “The star is still there. Which means that—“

“It’s still burning. The energy is still here,” Clarke finished, awe in her voice as she looked up at their star.

“The only problem is, you’ll have to find him. I think he was in Tibet the last time someone had seen him. And even then, you’ll have to convince him to show you both how exactly to recapture and contain the star’s energy,” Jake explained.

Lexa, as usual, was mostly confused. But she was sure that this time Clarke would explain everything. In the right time, that is.

Clarke looked at Lexa excitedly, her eyes sparking with joy. “Ready for an adventure, junior starkeeper?”

Lexa rolled her eyes at the monicker that Clarke had taken to calling her after she had helped them get all the cubes back. She pretended to hate it, but being a starkeeper meant that she was going to be joining this crazy family. It meant life with Clarke. And if she had to be called a ‘junior starkeeper’ for a while to get a life with Clarke, then it was well worth it.

Lexa turned to her, arms wrapping around Clarke’s waist, and smiled. “Where to first, love?”

Clarke grinned up at her, and Lexa knew exactly what she was going to say.

“Spoilers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s that! The end of this crazy ride! Thank you all so much for sticking around. I’m thankful for each and every one of you. You’ve all been wonderful. I’ve loved your theories and reactions and everything else. 
> 
> As for the sequel - I may or may not write it. I’m sorry to say, but the writing bug has kind of dwindled a bit for Clexa. I love this story, and I want to see how it ends, and I want to show y’all how it ends. But I’m not sure when or if it’ll happen. But, I hope that this ending is good enough for everyone, especially if the sequel doesn’t happen. I hope it will, but I can’t promise when it would. (If my girlfriend has anything to say about it, it’ll probably happen. We’ll see how much she presses for me to write it, though.)
> 
> Let me know what you all think. Did you love the ending? Did you hate it? Your kudos and comments are always loved. They’re really the best. And you can always come pester me on tumblr @musiclurv. And, any updates on a sequel will be on this story’s tumblr @starkeepersguide. 
> 
> Until next time!


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